
Qass_ 
Book_ 




INTRODUCTION 

TO THE 

STUDY OF THE BIBLE, 

BEING THE 
FOURTEENTH EDITION OF THE 

FIRST VOLUME 

OF THE 

Elements of Christian Theology. 



\ 
J 

A 



Printed by Luke Hansard & Sons, 
near Lincoln's-Inn Fields, London. 



INTRODUCTION 



STUDY OF THE BIBLE: 

BEING THE 
FOURTEENTH EDITION OF THE 

FIRST VOLUME 

OF THE 

ELEMENTS OF CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY: 

CONTAINING 

PROOFS OF THE AUTHENTICITY AND INSPIRATION 
OF TilE HOLY SCRIPTURES ; 

A SUMMARY OF THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS; 

AN ACCOUNT OF THE JEWISH SECTS; 

AND A BRIEF STATEMENT OF THE CONTENTS OF 

THE SEVERAL 

BOOKS OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS. 



BY 

c GEORGE TOMLINE (late PRETYMAN), 

D.D. F.R.S. 
LORD BISHOP OF WINCHESTER. 



LONDON: 
PRINTED FOR T. CADELL, IN THE STRAND 



1S22. 






By Transfer 

D. C. Public Library 

J UN 7 1988 



PREFACE, 



IT having been suggested to me, that a separate 
Edition of the First Volume of the Elements of 
Christian Theology might be useful to many per- 
sons who have no occasion for the Second, I have 
been induced to publish the First Volume of that 
Work in this cheap form. If it should be the 
means of diffusing more widely a knowledge of 
the Holy Scriptures, and a belief of their Divine 
Authority ; and especially, if it should lead those 
who are entrusted with the Education of Youth to 
make this most important of all Studies a regular 
branch of Instruction to their Pupils, my object 
will be fully answered. 

This Volume consists of two parts : the first 
relates to the Old Testament ; the second to the 

New. 

In treating of the Old Testament, I have begun 
with proving the Authenticity and Inspiration of 
the Books of which it consists, and have entered 
into these subjects at considerable length, but I trust 
not more fully than their importance demands. 
They form a material branch in the evidences for 
a 3 the 



vi PREFACE. 

the truth of the Christian Religion, as the Old 
Testament is in fact the foundation of the New. 
In the second chapter, I have given a very brief 
Account of the Contents of the several Books of 
the Old Testament, and have mentioned their 
respective authors, and the times when they lived. 
In the historical books, I have stated the period 
which they comprehend, and the principal facts 
which they relate .; and in the prophetical books, 
I have enumerated the prophecies they contain,, 
and the, few particulars which are known concern- 
ing the prophets themselves. The third chapter is 
an Abridgment of the History of the Old Testa- 
ment; and as a connexion between the Old and 
New Testaments, and to make the historical part 
of the New Testament more intelligible, the history 
of the Jews is continued down to the destruction 
of Jerusalem by Titus. The fourth and last chapter 
of this part contains an Account of the Jewish 
Sects, not only of such as are mentioned in the 
Old and New Testaments, but also of those which 
were known at any period among the Jews, al- 
though their names do not occur in Scripture. I 
doubted for some time whether this chapter ought 
to be placed in the first or second part ; but upon 
consideration it appeared better to include it in the 
first, because all the sects here noticed originated 
within the period contained in the preceding chap- 
ter, and the knowledge of the principles of some 

of 



m 



PREFACE. Vil 

of them is necessary to the right understanding of 
the New Testament. 

The first chapter of the second part is upon the 
Canon and Inspiration of the Books of the New 
Testament, and corresponds to the first chapter of 
the first part. The thirty following chapters con- 
tain a separate Account of the Books of the New 
Testament. I have there stated the grounds for 
believing that each book was written by the per- 
son to whom it is usually ascribed, and have given 
the History of its Author. I have mentioned the 
place where it was published, or from which it was 
written ; its date ; the cause or design of its being 
written; its contents, and such other particulars 
as belong to the respective books. The last chap- 
ter of this part is an abridgment of the New Testa- 
ment History, in which I have related the leading- 
circumstances of the life and ministry of our. 
Saviour, and the exertions and sufferings of the 
Apostles, after his ascension into Heaven. 



PART I. 

CHAPTER THE FIRST; 

OF THE 

AUTHENTICITY AND INSPIRATION 

OF THE BOOKS OF 

THE OLD TESTAMENT. 



/Christian Theology, or Divinity, teaches 
^ from Revelation the knowledge of God, his 
various dispensations to mankind, and the duties 
required of men by their Creator. 

The Scriptures, or Bible, are the only authentic 
source from which instruction upon these impor- 
tant points can be derived. The word Scriptures 
literally signifies Writings, and the word Bible, 
Book ; but these words are now, by way of emi- 
nence and distinction, exclusively applied to those 
sacred compositions, which contain the Revealed 
Will of God. The words, Scriptures and Scrip- 
ture, occur in this sense in the Gospels, Acts, and 
Epistles (a) ; whence it is evident, that, in the time 
of our Saviour, they denoted the books received 
by the Jews, as the rule of their faith. To these 
books have been added the writings of the Apostles 

and 

(a) Matt. c. 21. v. 42. c. 22. v. 29. John, c. 5. v. 39. 
Acts, c. 18. v. 28. Rom. c. 15. V. 4. 2 Tim. c. 3. v. 16, 
1 Pet. c. 2. v. 6. James, c. 2. v. 8. 

B 



2 Authenticity and Inspiration [part u 

and Evangelists, which complete the collection of 
books acknowledged by Christians to be divinely 
inspired. The Bible ( b), or the Book, the Book of 
Books, was used in its present sense by the early 
Christians, as we learn from Chrysostom (c). 

The Bible is divided into two parts, called the 
Old and New Testament (d). The Old Testament, 
of which alone it is intended to treat in this chap- 
ter, contains those sacred books which were com- 
posed, previous to the birth of our Saviour, by the 
successive prophets and inspired writers, whom it 
pleased God to raise up from time to time, through 
a period of more than 1000 years. These books 
are written in Hebrew, and they are the only 
writings now extant in that language. The Old 
Testament, according to our Bibles, consists of 
thirty-nine books ; but among the Jews they formed 
only twenty-two, which was also the number of 

letters 

(b) Bi^Xiov signifies simply a book. 

(c) Horn. 9. in Col. 

(d) St. Paul, in the same chapter, 2 Cor. c. 3. v, 6. and 14. 
calls the dispensation of Moses the Old Testament, and the 
dispensation of Christ the New Testament ; and these distin- 
guishing appellations were applied by the early ecclesiastical 
authors to the writings which contained those dispensations. 
The Greek word AiaQwn occurs in Scripture both in the sense 
of a testament or will, and of a covenant, Heb. c. 9. v. 16, 
and Gal. c. 3. v. 15. It seems improperly applied to the 
antient Scriptures in the former sense, since the death of 
Moses had no concern whatever in the establishment or effi-> 
cacy of the Jewish religion; but in the latter sense it very 
properly signifies the covenant between God and his chosen 
people. The word Ajaflwn, when applied in the sense of testa- 
ment to the books which contain the Christian dispensation,' 
may refer to the death of Christ, which forms an essential 
part of his religion ; but even in this case it would, perhaps, 
have been better translated by the word covenant, as referring 
to the conditions upon which God is pleased to offer salva- 
tion to his sinful creatures, through the mediation of his only 
son Jesus Christ. The Hebrew word Berith, which is trans- 
lated by a«0w>i in the Septuagint version, always signifies a 
covenant. 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. 3 

letters in their alphabet. They divided these 
twenty-two books into three classes; the first class 
consisted of five books, namely, Genesis, Exodus, 
Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, which 
they called The Law : the second class consisted of 
thirteen books, namely, Joshua, Judges and Ruth 
in one book ; the two books of Samuel, of Kings, 
and of Chronicles respectively, in single books; 
Ezra and Nehemiah, in one book; Esther, Job, 
Isaiah, the two books of Jeremiah in one ; Ezekiel, 
Daniel, and the twelve minor prophets in one book ; 
these thirteen books they called The Prophets : the 
third class consisted of the four remaining books, 
namely, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the 
Song of Solomon, which four books the Jews 
called Chetubim, and the Greeks Hagiographa ( e) ; 
this class was also called The Psalms, from the 
name of the first book in it. This threefold division 
was naturally suggested by the books themselves ; 
it was used merely for convenience, and did not 
proceed from any opinion of difference in the au- 
thority of the books of the several classes. In like 
manner the minor prophets were so called from 
the brevity of their works, and not from any sup- 
posed inferiority to the other prophets. The books 
are not in all instances arranged in our Bibles (f) 
according to the order of time in which they were 
written ; but the book of Genesis was the earliest 
composition contained in the sacred volume, ex- 
cept, as some think, the book of Job; and the 
book of Malachi was certainly the latest. 

Though Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, 
and Deuteronomy, stood as separate books in the 
private copies used by the Jews in the time of 

Josephus, 

(e) From ayuq holy, and y^n writing. 

(f) There is some little difference in the arrangement of 
the books in the Bibles of different countries and languages. 
Dupin. Diss. Pred. book I. c. l. sect 7. 



4 Authenticity and Inspiration [part r, 

Josephus (g), they were written by their author 
Moses in one continued work, and still remain in 
that form, in the public copies read in the Jew- 
ish synagogues. These five books are now gene- 
rally known by the name of the Pentateuch ( h) ; 
and they are frequently cited both in the Old and 
New Testament under the name of The Law. It 
appears from Deuteronomy, that the book of the 
Law, that is, the whole Pentateuch, written by the 
hand of Moses, was, by his command, deposited 
in the tabernacle, not long before his death ( i). It 
was kept there not only while the Israelites re- 
mained in the wilderness, but afterwards, when 
they were settled in the land of Canaan. To the 
same sanctuary were consigned, as they were suc- 
cessively produced, the other sacred books, which 
were written before the building of the temple at 
Jerusalem. And when Solomon had finished the 
temple, he directed that these books should be 
removed into it; and also, that the future com- 
positions of inspired men should be secured in the 
same holy place (k). We may therefore conclude, 
that the respective works of Jonah, Amos, Hosea, 
Joel, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Hab- 
bakuk, and Obadiah, all of whom flourished before 
the Babylonian captivity, were regularly depo- 
sited in the temple Whether these manuscripts 
perished in the flames, when the temple was burnt 
by Nebuchadnezzar, we are not informed, But 

as 

(g) It is not known when this division took place, but 
probably it was first adopted in the Septuagint version, as the 
titles prefixed are of Greek derivation. The beginnings of 
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, are very 
abrupt, and plainly shew that these books were formerly 
joined to Genesis. 

(h) From ttevte five, and tei^o? volume. It is called by the 
Jews, Chomez, a word synonymous with Pentateuch. 

(i) Deut. c. 31. v. 26. 

(k) Epiphanius de Pond, et Mens. cap. 4. Gray's Introd, 
Jenkin, part 2. ch. 9. 



chap. I.] of the Old Testament. 5 

as the burning of the Scriptures is not lamented 
by any of the contemporary or succeeding pro- 
phets, and as the other treasures of the temple 
were preserved and set apart as sacred by Nebu- 
chadnezzar, it is probable that these autographs 
also were saved ; and more especially, as it does 
not appear that Nebuchadnezzar had any parti- 
cular enmity against the religion of the Jews. If 
however the original books were destroyed with 
the temple, it is certain that there were at that 
time numerous copies of them; and we cannot 
doubt but some of them were carried by the Jews 
to Babylon, and that others were left in Judea. 
The holy Scriptures were too much reverenced, 
and too much dispersed, to make it credible that 
all the copies were lost or destroyed ; and indeed 
we find Daniel, when in captivity (I), referring to 
the book of the Law as then existing ; and soon 
after the captivity, Ezra not only read and ex- 
plained the Law to the people (m), but he restored 
the public worship and the sacrifices according to 
the Mosaic ritual ; and therefore there must have 
been, at that time, at least a correct copy of the 
Law ; for it is impossible to believe that he would 
have attempted the re-establishment of a church, 
in which the most minute observance of the rites 
and ceremonies prescribed by Moses was not only 
absolutely necessary for the acceptable perform- 
ance of divine worship, but the slightest deviation 
from which was considered as sacrilege or abomi- 
nation, unless he had been in actual possession 
either of the original manuscript of the Law (n) 9 or 

of 

(I) Dan. c. 9. v. 11 & 13. 

(m) Nehem. c. 8. v. 1, &c. 

(n) " The very old Egyptians used to write on linen, 
things which they designed should last long ; and those cha- 
racters continue to this day, as we are assured by those who 
have examined the mummies with attention. So Maillet 
tells us, that the filletting, or rather the bandage (for it was 
b 3 of 



6 Authenticity and Inspiration [part 1. 

of a copy so well authenticated as to leave no 
doubt of its accuracy in the minds of the people. 

There is an uncontradicted tradition in the 
Jewish church, that about fifty years after the 
temple was rebuilt, Ezra, in conjunction with the 
Great Synagogue, made a collection of the sacred 
writings (o), which had been increased since the 

Jews 

of considerable length) of a mummy, which was presented to 
him, and which he had opened in the house of the Capuchin 
Monks of Cairo, was not only charged from one end to 
the other with hieroglyphical figures, but they also found 
certain unknown characters written from the right hand to- 
wards the left, and forming a kind of verses. These, he sup- 
posed, contained the eulogium of the person whose this body 
was, written in the language which was used in Egypt in 
the time in which she lived : that some part of this writing 
■was afterwards copied by an engraver in France, and these 
papers sent to the virtuosi through Europe, that if possible 
they might decypher them ; but in vain. Might not a copy 
of the law of Moses, written after this manner, have lasted 
eight hundred and thirty years ? Is it unnatural to imagine 
that Moses, who was learned in all the arts of Egypt, wrote 
after this manner on linen ? And doth not this supposition 
perfectly well agree with the accounts we have of the form 
of their books, their being rolls, and of their heing easily 
cut in pieces with a knife, and liable to be burned? It 
should seem, the linen was first primed or painted all over 
before they began to write, and consequently would have 
been liable to crack if folded. We are told, the use of the 
papyrus was not known till after Alexandria was built. 
Skins might do for records, but not for books, unless pre- 
pared like parchment, of which we are assured Eumenes was 
the inventor, in the second century before Christ. Ink or 
paint must have been used to write on linen, and pens must 
have been reeds or canes, like those now used in Persia, 
which agrees better with the Hebrew word we render pen." 
Harmer's Observ. vol. ii. — Nearchus, who accompanied Alex- 
ander in his expedition into India, says, that the Indians 
" write on linen or cotton cloth, and that their character is 
beautiful." Arrian, 717. 

(0) " What the Jews call the great synagogue were a 
number of elders, amounting to 120, who, succeeding some 
after others, in a continued series, from the return of the 
Jews again into Judea, after the Babylonish captivity to the 

time 



€BAP* i.] of the Old Testament. 7 

Jews were carried into captivity, by the Lamenta- 
tions of Jeremiah, and the prophecies of Ezekiel, 
of Daniel, Haggai, and Zechariah ; and as Ezra 
was himself inspired, we may rest assured, that 
whatever received his sanction was authentic. To 
this genuine collection, which, according to former 
custom, was placed in the temple, were after- 
wards annexed the sacred compositions of Ezra 
himself, as well as those of Nehemiah and Malachi, 
which were written after the death of Ezra. This 

addition, 

time of Simon the Just, laboured in the restoring of the 
Jewish church and state in that country ; in order whereto, 
the holy Scriptures being the rule they were to go by, their 
chief care and study was to make a true collection of those 
Scriptures, and publish them accurately to the people. Ezra, 
and the men of the great synagogue that lived in his time, 
completed this work as far as I have said ; and as to what re- 
mained farther to be done in it, where can we better place 
the performing of it, and the ending and finishing of the 
whole thereby, than in that time when those men of the 
great synagogue ended, that were employed therein, that is, 
in the time of Simon the Just, who was the last of them V } 
Prideaux, part l. book 8. It is also generally admitted, 
that Ezra transcribed the Scriptures in the Chaldaic or square 
letters, which we now call Hebrew, and which, from the 
long residence of the Jews in Babylon, were then better un- 
derstood than the antient Hebrew or Phoenician characters. 
When the Jewish church was re-established after the capti- 
vity, a rule was made to erect a synagogue in every place 
where there were ten persons of full age and free condition 
always ready to attend the service of it, ten being thought 
necessary to make a congregation; and it is said that Ezra 
himself distributed 300 copies of the law for the use of these 
synagogues. The service performed in the synagogues was, 
prayer (for which they had a liturgy) reading and expound- 
ing the Scriptures, and preaching. The Pentateuch was 
divided into sections, that the whole might be read in the 
course of a year. When the reading of the Law was prohi- 
bited by Antiochus Epiphanes, they read the prophets in- 
stead of the Law, to evade the penalty of death ; but as soon 
as they were freed from his tyranny, they read both the Law 
and the prophets every sabbath, and have continued to do so 
ever since : but the prayers now in use are different from the 
antient liturgies. Vide Prideaux. 
B 4 



8 Authenticity and Inspiration [pAltt t, 

addition, which was probably made by Simon the 
Just, the last of the great synagogue, completed 
the Canon of the Old Testament; for after Ma- 
lachi no prophet arose till the time of John the 
Baptist, who, as it were, connected the two cove- 
nants, and of whom Malachi foretold, that he 
should precede " the great day of the Lord (p)," 
that is, the coming of the Messiah. It cannot now 
be ascertained, whether Ezra's copy of the Scrip- 
tures was destroyed by Antiochus Epiphanes, when 
he pillaged the temple ; nor is it material, since 
we know that Judas Maccabaeus repaired the 
temple, and replaced every thing requisite for the 
performance of divine worship, which included a 
correct, if not Ezra's own, copy of the Scriptures. 
This copy, whether Ezra's or not, remained in the 
temple till Jerusalem was taken by Titus, and it 
was then carried in triumph to Rome, and laid 
up with the purple veil in the royal palace of 
Vespasian (q). 

Thus, while the Jewish polity continued, and 
nearly, 500 years after the time of Ezra, a com- 
plete and faultless copy of the Hebrew canon was 
kept in the temple (r) at Jerusalem, with which 
all others might be compared. And it ought to 
be observed, that although Christ frequently re- 
proved the rulers and teachers of the Jews for 
their erroneous and false doctrines, yet he never 
accused them of any corruption in their written 
Law, or other sacred books : and St. Paul reckons . 
among the privileges of the Jews, " that unto them 
were committed the oracles of God (s)" with- 
out insinuating that they had been unfaithful to 
their trust. After the final destruction of Jerusa- 
lem 

(p) Mai. c. 4. v. 5. 

(q) Joseph, de Bell. Jud. lib. 7. cap. 5. 

(r) Josephus mentions the Scriptures deposited in the tem- 
ple. Ant. Jud. lib. 3. cap. 1. and lib. 5. cap.' 1. 

(s) Rom. c. 3. v. 2. 



€haf. t,] vf the Old Testament. g 

lem by the Romans, there was no established stand- 
ard of the Hebrew Scriptures; but from that 
time the dispersion of the Jews into all coun- 
tries, and the numerous converts to Christianity, 
became a double security for the preservation of 
a volume held equally sacred by Jews and Chris- 
tians, and to which both constantly referred as 
to the written word of God. They differed in 
the interpretation of these books, but never dis- 
I puted the validity of the text in any material 
point. 

But though designed corruption was utterly 
impracticable, and was indeed never suspected, 
yet the carelessness and inadvertence of tran- 
scribers, in a long series of years, would unavoid- 
ably introduce some errors and mistakes. Great 
pains have been taken by learned men, and espe- 
cially by the diligent and judicious Dr. Kenni- 
cott, to collate the remaining manuscripts of the 
Hebrew Bible ; and the result has been satisfac- 
tory in the highest degree. Many various readings 
of a trivial kind have been discovered, but scarcely 
any of real consequence. These differences are 
indeed of so little moment, that it is sometimes 
absurdly objected to the laborious work of Dr. 
Kennicott, which contains the collations of nearly 
700 Hebrew manuscripts, that it does not enable 
us to correct a single important passage in the 
Old Testament; whereas that very circumstance 
implies, that we have in fact derived from that 
excellent undertaking the greatest advantage 
which could have been wished for by any real 
friend of revealed religion; namely, the certain 
knowledge of the agreement of the copies of the 
antient Scriptures^ now extant in their original 
language, with each other, and with our Bibles. 
This point, thus clearly established, is still farther 
confirmed by the general coincidence of the pre- 
sent Hebrew copies with all the early transla- 
b 5 tions 



io Authenticity and Inspiration [part i. 

tions of the Bible, and particularly with the Sep- 
tuagint (t) Version, the earliest of them all, and 
which was made 270 years before Christ. There 
is also a perfect agreement between the Samari- 
tan (u) and Hebrew Pentateuchs, except in one or 
two manifest interpolations, which were noticed 

immediately 

(t) This is a Translation of the Old Testament into Greek, 
made at Alexandria, when Ptolemy Philadelphus was king of 
Egypt. Aristseus relates, that Ptolemy applied to Eleazer, 
the high priest at Jerusalem, for proper persons to translate 
the Hebrew Scriptures into the Greek language, and that the 
high priest sent six elders from each of the twelve tribes. 
These seventy-two persons soon completed the work, and from 
their number it was called the Septuagint Version, seventy 
being a round number. This account of Aristaeus is but 
little credited. Some learned men have supposed that this 
was called the Septuagint Translation, because it was approved 
by the Sanhedrim, whose number was seventy. But whatever 
was the origin of its name, it is certain that this version was 
made in the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus, and that it was 
in great esteem among the Jews in the time of our Saviour. 
Most of the quotations in the New Testament are made from it, 
except in St. Matthew's Gospel. 

fu) The Samaritans, who were the descendants of the ten 
tribes that seceded in the reign of Jtehoboam, and of the 
Cutheans, a colony brought from the East, and established 
in Samaria by Esarhaddon, professed the Hebrew religion ; 
but the Pentateuch was the only part of the Jewish Scrip- 
tures which they acknowledged. The Samaritan Pentateuch 
is a copy of the original Hebrew, written in the old Hebrew 
or Phoenician characters. There are still some Samaritans, 
who have their high priest, and offer sacrifices upon Mount 
Gerizim. Archbishop Usher procured two or three copies of 
the Samaritan Pentateuch, which were the first that had been 
in Europe since the revival of learning. It is well known that 
the language now spoken by the Jews is different from that 
of the Hebrew Scriptures, which has indeed been a dead 
language since the return from captivity ; and in like manner 
the language spoken by the modern Samaritans is different 
from that of their antient Pentateuch. There is a transla- 
tion of the Pentateuch in the modern Samaritan language, 
which is published in the Paris and London Polyglots; it 
is so literal, that Morinus and Walton have given but one 
version for both, only marking the variations. Vide Gray and 
Prideaux, part 1. ch. 5 and 6. 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. 11 

immediately by the Jewish writers ( x) ; and this 
is no small proof of the genuineness of both, as we 
may rest assured, that the Jews and Samaritans, 
on account of their rooted enmity to each other, 
would never have concurred in any alteration. 
Nor ought it to be omitted, that the Chaldee para- 
phrases (y), which are very antient, and so con- 
cise, that they may be called translations, entirely 
accord with our Hebrew Bibles. 

The books of the Old Testament have been 
always allowed, in every age and by every sect of 
the Hebrew Church, to be the genuine works of 
those persons to whom they are usually ascribed ; 
and they have also been, universally and exclu- 
sively, without any addition or exception, consi- 
dered by the Jews as written Under the imme- 
diate influence of the Divine Spirit. Those who 
were contemporaries with the respective writers 
of these books, had the clearest evidence, that 
they acted and spoke by the authority of God 
himself; and this testimony, transmitted to all 
succeeding ages, was in many cases strengthened 
and confirmed by the gradual fulfilment of pre- 
dictions contained in their writings. " We have 
not," says Josephus, " myriads of books which 

differ 

(x) Vide Prideaux, part 1 . b. 6. 

(y) The Chaldee paraphrases, called Targums, or Versions, 
are translations of the Old Testament from the Hebrew into 
Chaldee, made for the benefit of those who had forgotten, 
or were ignorant of the Hebrew, after the captivity. They 
were read publicly with the original Hebrew, sentence for 
sentence alternately. Vide Nehem. c. 8. v. 8. The two 
most antient and authentic are tha't of Onkelos, on the law, 
and that of Jonathan, on the prophets • which, from the 
purity of the language and other circumstances, are con- 
sidered as having been made soon after the captivity, or at 
least before the time of Christ. There are other Targums, 
which are of a much later date. The Targums are printed 
in the second edition of the Hebrew Bible, published at Basil, 
by Buxtorf the father, in l6l(X Vide Gray and Prideaux, 
part 2. book 8. 

B 6 



12 Authenticity and Inspiration fpAitT i, 

differ from each other, but only twenty-two 
books, which comprehend the history of all past 
time, and are justly believed to be divine. And 
of these, five are the works of Moses, which con- 
tain the laws, and an account of things from the 
creation of man to the death of Moses : this pe- 
. riod falls but a little short of 3000 years. And 
from the death of Moses to the reign of Arta- 
xerxes, who succeeded Xerxes as king of Persia, 
the prophets after Moses wrote the transactions 
of their own times in thirteen books ; and the four 
remaining books contain hymns to God and pre- 
cepts for the conduct of human life. And from 
Artaxerxes to the present time there is a conti- 
nuation of writings, but they are not thought de- 
serving of the same credit, because there was not 
a clear succession of prophets. But what con- 
fidence we have in our own writings is manifest 
from hence ; that after so long a lapse of time no 
one has dared to add'to them, or to diminish from 
them, or to alter any thing in them; for it is 
implanted in the nature of all Jews, immediately 
from their birth, to consider these books as the 
oracles of God, to adhere to them, and if occa- 
sion should require, cheerfully to die for their 
sake (z)." The Jews of the present day dispersed 
all over the world, demonstrate the sincerity of 
their belief in the Authenticity of the Scriptures, 
by their inflexible adherence to the Law, and by 
the anxious expectation with which they wait for 
the accomplishment of the prophecies. " Blind- 
ness has happened to them" only " in part (a) ;" 
and the constancy, with which they have endured 
persecution, and suffered hardships, rather than 
renounce the commands of their lawgiver, fully 
proves their firm conviction that these books were 

divinely 

(z) Jos. cont. Ap. lib. 1. sect. 8. edit. Huds. p. 1333. 
(a) Rom. c. 11. v. 25. 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. 13 

divinely inspired, and that they remain uninjured 
by time and transcription. Handed down, un- 
tainted by suspicion, from Moses to the present 
generation, they are naturally objects of their un- 
shaken confidence and attachment — but suppose 
the case reversed — destroy the grounds of their 
faith, by admitting the possibility of the corrup- 
tion of their Scriptures, and their whole history 
becomes utterly inexplicable. "A book of this 
nature," says Dr. Jenkin, speaking of the Bible, 
** which is so much the antientest in the world, 
being constantly received as a divine revelation, 
carries great evidence with it that it is authentic : 
for the first revelation is to be the criterion of all 
that follow; and God would not suffer the antientest 
book of Religion in the world to pass all along un- 
der the notion and title of a revelation, without 
causing some discovery to be made of the impos- 
ture, if there were any in it ; much less would he 
preserve it by a particular and signal providence 
for so many ages. It is a great argument for the 
truth of the Scriptures, that they have stood the 
test, and received the approbation, of so many 
ages, and still retain their authority, though so 
many ill men in all ages have made it their endea- 
vour to disprove them ; but it is a still farther evi- 
dence in behalf of them, that God has been pleased 
to shew so remarkable a providence in their pre- 
servation^ )." 

But the most decisive proof of the Authenticity 
and Inspiration of the antient Scriptures is derived 
from the New Testament. The Saviour of the 
World himself, even he who came expressly " from 
the Father of Truth to bear witness to the truth," 
in the last instructions which he gave to his 
apostles just before his ascension, said, " These 
are the words which I spake unto you, while I 

was 
(b) Reas. and Cert, of the Christian Religion. 



14 Authenticity and Inspiration [pakt i. 

was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled 
which were written in the Law of Moses, and in 
the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning 
me (c)" Our Lord, by thus adopting the com- 
mon division of the Law, the Prophets, and the 
Psalms, which comprehended all the Hebrew 
Scriptures, ratified the canon of the Old Testa- 
ment as it was received by the Jews ; and by de- 
claring that those books contained prophecies 
which must be fulfilled, he established their divine 
Inspiration, since God alone can enable men to 
fortel future events. At another time Christ told 
the Jews, that they made " the word of God of 
none effect through their traditions (d)." By thus 
calling the written rules which the Jews had re- 
ceived for the conduct of their lives, " the Word 
of God," he declared that the Hebrew Scrip- 
tures proceeded from God himself. Upon many 
other occasions Christ referred to the antient 
Scriptures as books of divine authority ; and both 
he and his apostles constantly endeavoured to 
prove that " Jesus was the Messiah " foretold in 
the writings of the Prophets. St. Paul bears strong 
testimony to the divine authority of the Jewish 
Scriptures, when he says to Timothy, " From a 
child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which 
are able to make thee wise unto salvation, through 
faith, which is in Christ Jesus (e) :" this passage 
incontestably proves the importance of the antient 
Scriptures, and the connection between the Mo- 
saic and Christian dispensations ; — and in the next 
verse the apostle expressly declares the Inspiration 
of Scripture ; " All Scripture is given by inspi- 
ration of God." To the same effect St. Luke 
says, that " God spake by the mouth of his 
holy prophets (f)" And St. Peter tells us, that 

" propheoy 

(c) Lute, c. 24. v. 44. (d) Mark, c. 7. v. 13. 

(e) 2 Tim. c. 3. v. 5. (f) Luke, c. 1. v. 70. 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. 15 

" prophecy came not in old time by the will of 
man ; but holy men of God spake as they were 
moved by the Holy Ghost (g)" In addition to 
these passages, which refer to the antient Scrip- 
tures collectively, we may observe, that there is 
scarcely a book in the Old Testament, which is 
not repeatedly quoted in the New, as of divine 
authority. 

When it is said that Scripture is divinely in- 
spired, it is not to be understood that God sug- 
gested every word, or dictated every expression. 
It appears from the different styles in which the 
books are written, and from the different manner 
in which the same events are related and predicted 
by different authors, that the sacred penmen were 
permitted to write as their several tempers, under- 
standings, and habits of life, directed ; and that 
the knowledge communicated to them by Inspira- 
tion upon the subject of their writings, was applied 
in the same manner as any knowledge acquired by 
ordinary means. Nor is it to be supposed that 
they were even thus inspired in every fact which 
they related, or in every precept which they de- 
livered. They were left to the common use of 
their faculties, and did not upon every occasion 
stand in need of supernatural communication ; but 
whenever, and as far as divine assistance was 
necessary, it was always afforded. In different 
parts of Scripture we perceive that there were 
different sorts and degrees of Inspiration: God 
enabled Moses to give an account of the creation 
of the world ; he enabled Joshua to record with 
exactness the settlement of the Israelites in the 
iand?l|p5anaan ; he enabled David to mingle pro- 

Jhetic information with the varied effusions of gra- 
pade, contrition and piety; he enabled Solomon 
?; r fo deliver wise instructions for the regulation of 
^jg human 

(g) 2 Pet. c. 1. v. 21. 



i6 Authenticity and Inspiration [part i. 

human life ; he enabled Isaiah to deliver predic- 
tions concerning the future Saviour of mankind, 
and Ezra to collect the sacred Scriptures into one 
authentic volume; "but all these worketh that 
one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every 
man severally as he will (h)." In some cases In- 
spiration only produced correctness and accuracy 
in relating past occurrences, or in reciting the 
words of others; in other cases it communicated 
ideas not only new and unknown before, but in- 
finitely beyond the reach of unassisted human 
intellect ; and sometimes inspired prophets deliver- 
ed predictions for the use of future ages, which they 
did not themselves comprehend, and which can- 
not be fully understood till they are accomplished. 
But whatever distinctions we may make with re- 
spect to the sorts, degrees, or modes of Inspira- 
tion, we may rest assured that there is one property 
which belongs to every inspired writing, namely, 
that it is free from error. — I mean material error ;— 
and this property must be considered as extending 
to the whole of each of those writings, of which a 
part only is inspired ; for we cannot suppose that 
God would suffer any such errors, as might tend 
to mislead our faith or pervert our practice, to be 
mixed with those truths, which he himself has 
mercifully revealed to his rational creatures as the 
means of their eternal salvation. In this restricted 
sense it may be asserted, that the sacred writers 
always wrote under the influence, or guidance, or 
care of the Holy Spirit, which sufficiently esta- 
blishes the truth and divine authority of all 
Scripture. 

These observations relative to the nature of 
Inspiration are particularly applicable to the 
historical books of the Old Testament. That the 
authors of these books were occasionally inspired is 

certain, 
(h) l Cor. c. 12. v. 11. 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. ij 

certain, since they frequently display an acquaint- 
ance with the counsels and designs of God, arid 
often reveal his future dispensations in the clearest 
predictions. But though it is evident that the sacred 
historians sometimes wrote under the immediate 
operation of the Holy Spirit, it does not follow 
that they derived from Revelation the knowledge 
of those things which might be collected from 
the common sources of human intelligence. It is 
sufficient to believe, that by the general super- 
intendence of the Holy Spirit, they were directed 
in the choice of their materials, enlightened to 
judge of the truth and importance of those ac- 
counts from which they borrowed their informa- 
tion, and prevented from registering any material 
error. The historical books appear, indeed, from 
internal evidence, to have been chiefly written by 
persons contemporary with the periods to which 
they relate ; who, in their description of charac- 
ters and events, many of which they witnessed, 
uniformly exhibit a strict sincerity of intention, 
and an unexampled impartiality. Some of these 
books, however, were compiled in subsequent 
times from the sacred annals mentioned in Scrip- 
ture as written by prophets or seers, and from 
those public records, and other authentic docu- 
ments, which though written by uninspired men, 
were held in high estimation, and preserved with 
great care by persons specially appointed as 
keepers of the genealogies and public archives of 
the Jewish nation. To such well-known chroni- 
cles we find the sacred writers not unfrequently 
referring for a more minute detail of those circum- 
stances which they omit as inconsistent with their 
design. For " these books are to be considered 
as the histories of revelations, as commentaries 
upon the prophecies, and as affording a lively 
sketch of the economy of God's government 
of his selected people. They were not designed as 

national 



18 Authenticity and Inspiration [part ii 

national annals, to record every minute particular 
and political event that occurred; but they are 
rather a compendious selection of such remarkable 
occurrences and operations as were best calcu- 
lated to illustrate the religion of the Hebrew 
nation; to set before that perverse and ungrateful 
people an abstract of God's proceedings, of their 
interests and duties ; as also to furnish posterity 
with an instructive picture of the divine attributes, 
and with a model of that dispensation on which a 
nobler and more spiritual government was to be 
erected; and moreover, to place before mankind 
the melancholy proofs of that corruption, which 
had been entailed upon them, and to exhibit in 
the depravity of a nation highly favoured, mira- 
culously governed, and instructed by inspired 
teachers, the necessity of that redemption and 
renewal of righteousness, which was so early and 
so repeatedly promised by the prophets. It seems 
probable, therefore, that the books of Kings and 
Chronicles do not contain a complete compilation 
of the entire works of each contemporary pro- 
phet, but are rather an abridgment of their several 
labours, and of other authentic public writings, 
digested by Ezra after the Captivity, with an in- 
tention to display the sacred history under one 
point of view ; and hence it is that they contain 
some expressions, which evidently result from con- 
temporary description, and others which as clearly 
argue them to have been composed long after the 
occurrences which they relate (i)" 

Since then we are taught to consider the divine 
assistance as ever proportioned to the real wants 
of men ; and since it must be granted that their 
natural faculties, though wholly incompetent to 
the prediction of future events, are adequate to 
the relation of such past occurrences as have fallen 

within 
(i) Gray. 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. 19 

within the sphere of their own observation, we 
may infer that the historical books are not written 
with the same uniform Inspiration, which illumines 
every page of the prophetic writings. But at the 
same time we are to believe that God vouchsafed 
to guard these registers of his judgments and his 
mercies from all important mistakes ; and to im- 
part, by supernatural means, as much information 
and assistance to those who composed them, as 
was requisite for the accomplishment of the great 
designs of his providence. In the antient Hebrew 
canon they were placed, as has been already ob- 
served, in the class of prophetical books ; they 
are cited as such by the evangelical writers ; and 
it must surely be considered as a strong testimony 
to the constant opinion of the Jews respecting the 
Inspiration of these books, that they have never 
dared to annex any historical narrative to them 
since the death of Malachi. They closed the 
sacred Volume when the succession of Prophets 
ceased. 

If it be asked by what rule we are to distinguish 
the inspired from the uninspired parts of these 
books, I answer, that no general rule can be pre- 
scribed for that purpose. Nor is it necessary that 
we should be able to make any such discrimina- 
tion. It is enough for us to know, that every 
writer of the Old Testament was inspired, and that 
the whole of the history it contains, without any 
exception or reserve, is true. These points being 
ascertained and allowed, it is of very little conse- 
quence, whether the knowledge of a particular 
fact was obtained by any of the ordinary modes of 
information, or whether it was communicated by 
immediate Revelation from God; whether any 
particular passage was written by the natural 
powers of the historian, or whether it was written 
by the positive suggestion of the Holy Spirit. 

We may in like manner suppose, that some of 

the 



SO Authenticity and Inspiration [part f, 

the precepts, delivered in the books called Hagio- 
grapha, were written without any supernatural 
assistance, though it is evident that others of them 
exceed the limits of human wisdom ; and it would 
be equally impossible, as in the historical Scrip- 
tures, to ascertain the character of particular pas- 
sages which might be proposed. But here again 
a discrimination would be entirely useless. The 
books themselves furnish sufficient proofs that the 
writers of them were occasionally inspired; and 
we know also, that they were frequently quoted, 
particularly the Psalms, as prophetical, by our 
Saviour and his apostles, in support of the religion 
which they preached. Hence we are under an in- 
dispensable obligation to admit the divine autho- 
rity of the whole of these books, which have the 
same claim to our faith and obedience, as if they 
had been written under the influence of a constant 
and universal Inspiration. 

But whatever uncertainty there may be con- 
cerning the direct inspiration of any historical 
narrative, or of any moral precept, contained in 
the Old Testament, we must be fully convinced 
that all its prophetical parts proceeded from God. 
This is continually affirmed by the prophets them- 
selves, and is demonstrated by the indubitable 
testimony which history bears to the accurate ful- 
filment of many of these predictions; others are 
gradually receiving their accomplishment in the 
times in which we live, and afford the surest 
pledge and most positive security for the comple- 
tion of those which remain to be fulfilled. The 
past, the present, and the future, have a con- 
nected reference to one great plan, which infinite 
wisdom, prescience, and power, could alone form, 
reveal, and execute. Every succeeding age throws 
an increasing light upon these sacred writings, 
and contributes additional evidence to their divine 
origin. 

I have 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. 21 

I have thus given an historical detail of the gra- 
dual production and preservation of the books of 
the Old Testament, and of their formation into a 
regular Canon ; I have also stated the grounds of 
our belief in the integrity of the copies which have 
been transmitted to us, and the general arguments 
in favour of the Authenticity and Inspiration of 
these invaluable writings. But as it is the practice 
of the sceptics of the present day to endeavour to 
shake the foundations of Christianity by under- 
mining the authority of the Old Testament ; and 
as their attacks are particularly directed against 
the genuineness and credit of the Books of Moses, 
upon which the other antient Scriptures greatly 
depend, it may be useful to offer some farther 
considerations to prove, that the Pentateuch was 
really the work of Moses, and that it is our duty, 
as St. Paul thought it his, " to believe all things 
which are written in the law, and in the pro- 
phets (k)" 

The first argument to be adduced in favour of 
the genuineness of the Pentateuch, is the univer- 
sal concurrence of all antiquity. The rival king- 
doms of Judah and Israel, the hostile sects of Jews 
and Samaritans, and every denomination of early 
Christians, received the Pentateuch as unques- 
tionably written by Moses ; and we find it men- 
tioned and referred to by many heathen authors, 
in a manner which plainly shews it to have been 
the general and undisputed opinion in the pagan 
world, that this book was the work of the Jewish 
legislator. Nicolaus of Damascus (I), after de- 
scribing Baris, a high mountain in Armenia, upon 

which 

( k) Acts, c. 24. v. 14. 

(I) A peripatetic philosopher, and a poet, historian, and 
orator of great eminence, in the time of Augustus. Nothing 
remains of his works but some fragments preserved in other 
authors. 



22 Authenticity and Inspiration [part i. 

which it was reported that many, who fled at the 
time of the deluge, were saved, and that one 
came on shore upon the top of it from an ark, 
which was a great while preserved, adds, *< this 
might be the man about whom Moses, the legis- 
lator of the Jews, wrote ( m)." We are told that 
Alexander Polyhistor (n) mentioned a history of 
the Jews, written by Cleodemus, which was 
" agreeable to the history of Moses, their legis- 
lator (o)." Diodorus SiculusfpJ mentions Moses as 
the legislator of the Jews in three different places 
of his remaining works : in the first book of his 
history, where he is speaking of the written laws 
of different nations, he says, that " among the 
Jews, Moses pretended to have received his laws 
from a God called Iao (q)." In a fragment of the 
thirty-fourth book he mentions " the Book of the 
Laws given by Moses to the Jews ;" and in a frag- 
ment of the fortieth book, after giving some ac- 
count of the conduct and laws of Moses, he says 
that " Moses concludes his laws by declaring, 
that he had heard from God the things which he 
addresses to the Jews." Strabo speaks of the de- 
scription which Moses gave of the Deity, and says, 
that he condemned the religious worship of the 
Egyptians. His statement is by no means accu- 
rate, but it is sufficient to shew that he considered 
the Pentateuch as written by Moses (r). The ac- 
counts 

(m) Jos. Ant. lib. l. cap. 3. 

(n) He was called Polyhistor from his great knowledge of 
antiquity. He wrote an Universal History, mentioned by- 
several authors, but now lost. He lived about fifty years be- 
fore Christ. 

(0) Jos. Ant. lib. l. cap. 15. 

(p) He lived in the time of Augustus. Vide vol. 1. p. 105. 
vol. 2. p. 525 & 543. Edit. Wesseling. 

(q) That is, Jehovah. 

(r) Geog. lib. 16. He lived in the time of Augustus. 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. 23 

counts which Justin (s) and Tacitus (t) have left of 
the Jews are also very erroneous ; but it is evi- 
dent that they both admitted the Pentateuch to 
be the work of Moses. Pliny the elder (u) men- 
tions " a system of magic/' as he calls it, which 
was derived from Moses. Juvenal (x) the satirist 
speaks of the volume of the law written by Moses. 
The illustrious physician and philosopher Galen (y) 
compares the account given by Moses with the 
opinion of Epicurus concerning the origin of the 
world, and in that comparison he plainly refers to 
the book of Genesis. Numenius, a Pythagorean 
philosopher of the second century, says, that Plato 
borrowed from the writings of Moses his doctrines 
concerning the existence of a God, and the 
creation of the world (z). Longinus (a), in his 
treatise upon the Sublime, says, " So likewise the 
Jewish legislator, no ordinary person, having con- 
ceived a just idea of the power of God, has nobly 
expressed it in the beginning of his law ; ' And 
God said' — What? — ' Let there be light, and 
there was light. Let the earth be, and the earth 
was.' " Porphyry (b ), one of the most acute and 
learned enemies of Christianity, admitted the 
genuineness of the Pentateuch, and acknowledged 
that Moses was prior to the Phoenician Sanchonia- 
thon, who lived before the Trojan war; he even 
contended for the truth of Sanchoniathon's ac- 
count 

(s) Trogus Pompeius, whose history Justin abridged, lived 
in the time of Augustus. Vide lib. 36. 

(t) Hist. lib. 5. He lived at the end of the first century after 
Christ. 

(u) Hist. Nat. lib. 30. cap. 1. He lived in the reign of 
Vespasian. 

(x) Sat. 14. He lived in the reign of Domitian. 

(y) De Usu Part. lib. 11. He lived in the middle of the 
second century after Christ. 

( z) Stillingfleet's Orig. Sacrae, b. 3. c. 2. 

(a) Longinus lived towards the end of the third century after 
Christ. Vide sect. 9. 

(b) He lived in the third century after Christ. 



24 Authenticity and Inspiration [part i. 

count of the Jews, from its coincidence with the 
Mosaic history. Nor was the genuineness of the 
Pentateuch denied by any of the numerous writers 
against the gospel in the first four centuries, al- 
though the christian fathers constantly appealed to 
the history and prophecies of the Old Testament, 
in support of the divine origin of the doctrines 
which they taught. The power of historic truth 
compelled the emperor Julian, whose apparent 
favour to the Jews proceeded only from his hosti- 
lity to the Christians, to acknowledge that persons 
instructed by the Spirit of God once lived among 
the Israelites ; and to confess that the books, which 
bore the name of Moses, were genuine, and that 
the facts which they contained were worthy of 
credit. Mahomet maintained the Inspiration of 
Moses, and revered the sanctity of the Jewish 
laws ; and when we consider the avowed enmity, 
and professed contempt of the pretended prophet 
of Arabia for both Jews and Christians, it cannot 
be imagined that any thing short of his conviction 
of the impossibility of lessening the general esteem, 
in which these books were held, in a country 
which had kept up a constant intercourse with 
the Israelites from the earliest times, could have 
drawn from him that concession in favour of the 
foundation of their faith. 

To this testimony from profane authors we may 
add the positive assertions of the sacred writers 
both of the Old and Ts T ew Testament. Moses fre- 
quently (c) speaks of himself as directed by God to 
write the commands which he received from him, 
and to record the events which occurred during 
his ministry ; and at the end of Deuteronomy he 
expressly says, " And Moses wrote this law, and 
delivered it unto the priests, the sons of Levi, 
which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 
and unto all the elders of Israel (d) :" and after- 
wards, 

(c) Ex. c. 17. v. 14. c. 24. v. 4. Numbers, c. 33. v. 2. 

(d) Deut. c. 31. v.9. 



€HAP. i.] of the Old Testament. 25 

wards, in the same chapter, he says still more fully, 
" And it came to pass, when Moses had made an 
end of writing the words of this law in a book, 
until they were finished, that Moses commanded 
the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of 
the Lord, saying, Take this book of the Law, and put 
it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord 
your God, that it may be there for a witness against 
thee (e)." In many subsequent books of the Old 
Testament, the Pentateuch is repeatedly quoted, 
and referred to under the name of " The Law " and 
" The Book of Moses;" and in particular we are 
told " that Joshua read all the words of the Law, 
the blessings and cursings, according to all that is 
written in the Book of the Law. There was not a 
word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua 
read not before all the congregation of Israel (f)" 
From which passage it is evident, that the Book of 
the Law, or Pentateuch, existed in the time of 
Joshua, the successor of Moses. In the New Testa- 
ment also the writing of the Law, or Pentateuch, 
is expressly ascribed to Moses : " Philip findeth 
Nathanael, and saith unto him, we have found him 
of whom Moses in the Law, and the prophets, did 
write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph (g)." 
In a variety of passages in the Gospels, Acts, and 
Epistles, Moses is evidently considered as the author 
of the Pentateuch (h), and every one of the five 
books is quoted as written by him (i). And it is 

material 

(e) Deut. c. 31. v. 24, &c. No person who had forged the 
Pentateuch, or even written it in a subsequent age from ex- 
isting materials, would have inserted these passages, which 
must have excited inquiry, and have caused the fraud to be 
detected. 

(f) Joshua, c. 8. v. 34 and 35. 

(g) John, c. l.v. 45. 

( h) Luke, c. 24. v. 27. John, c. 5. v. 46. Acts, c. 1 5. v. 2 1 . 
2 Cor. c. 3. v. 15. Heb. c. 7. v. 14. 

(i) Matt. c. 19. v. 7. Mark, c. 12. v. 19 and 26. Luke, 
c. 20. v. 28 and 37. Rom. c. 10. v. 5. Heb. c. 8. v. 5. 

c 



26 Authenticity and Inspiration [part i. 

material to remark, as of itself a sufficient proof of 
the Inspiration of the Pentateuch, that Christ called 
the words of Exodus and Deuteronomy the words 
of God himself: "God commanded, saying, Ho- 
nour thy father and thy mother ; and he that 
curseth father or mother, let him die the death (k)" 
And upon another occasion Christ confirmed the 
divine authority of every part of the Pentateuch ; 
" Think not that I am come to destroy the Law and 
the prophets ; I am not come to destroy, but to 
fulfil : for verily I say unto you, till heaven and 
earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass 
from the Law, till all be fulfilled (l)P 

It may be observed, that we have the strongest 
possible negative testimony to the truth of the 
Mosaic history. The laborious Whiston asserts, 
and in support of his assertion appeals to a similar 
declaration of the learned Grotius, " That there do 
not appear in the genuine records of mankind, be- 
longing to antient times, any testimonies that con- 
tradict those produced from the Old Testament; 
and that it may be confidently affirmed, there are 
no such to be found (m)." We are not, however, 
confined to negative testimony; for it would be 
easy to bring forward nearly demonstrative evi- 
dence to prove the positive agreement of antiquity 
with the narrative of the sacred historian ; but I can 
only briefly mention some of the leading facts, con- 
cerning which the most antient histories and ear- 
liest traditions very remarkably coincide with the 
Pentateuch, and refer to other authors for farther 
confirmation of this important point. The depar- 
ture of a shepherd people out of Egypt, who were 

not 

(k) Compare Matt. c. 15. v. 4. with Ex. c. 20. v. 12. and 
Deut. c. 5. v. l6. In the parallel passage of St. Mark, c. J, 
v. 10. these precepts are called the words of Moses. 

(I) Matt. c. 5.v. 17 and 18. 

(m) Grot. lib. 3. sect. 13, 14, and 16. Whiston, Joseph, 
Index, l. 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. 27 

not originally Egyptians, but who, after being com- 
pelled to work in the quarries for some time, left it 
under the direction of Osarsiph or Moyses (which 
latter word signifies, in the Egyptian language, a 
person preserved out of the water) (m), and were 
pursued over the sandy desert as far as the bounds 
of Syria, was particularly mentioned by Manetho, 
Chaeremon, Lysimachus, and others. Manetho (nj, 
who wrote his history from the antient Egyptian 
records, in speaking of the Jews, said also, " It was 
reported that the priest, who ordained the polity 
and the laws of this people, who afterwards settled 
in Judaea, was by birth of Heliopolis ; but that 
those laws were made, not in compliance with, 
but in opposition to, the customs of the Egyp- 
tians (0)." Chaeremon, who likewise wrote an 
Egyptian history, mentioned Moses as a scribe, and 
as an Egyptian priest. The account which Lysima- 
chus gave was very extraordinary ; he said, " that 
a people, infected with the leprosy, left Egypt by 
the advice of one Moyses, who charged them to 
have no kind regards for any man, but to overthrow 
all the altars and temples of the gods they should 
meet with, and travel till they came to a place fit 
for habitation ; which they accordingly did ; and 
following liim across the desert, settled at last in 
a land which is called Judaea, where they built 
a city, named at first Hierosyla, from their robbing 
the temples, but afterwards they changed its 
name to Hierosolyma (p)" Apion also acknow- 
ledged that Moses and the Jews came out of 
Egypt into Judaea, although he placed the Exodus 
much later than it really was (q). Procopius (r), 

Suidas, 

(m) Jos. Ant. lib. 2. cap. 9. sect. 6. 

£n) He lived about 260 years before Christ. 

(0) Jos. lib. l. contr. Ap. 

(p) Lib. 1 . contr. Ap. 

(q) Lib. 2. contr. Ap. 

(r) He lived in the sixth century after Christ. 
C 2 



28 Authenticity and Inspiration [part f. 

Suidas (s), and Moses Choronensis (t), mention the 
famous inscription of Tangier, set up by the Ca- 
naanites who were driven out of Palestine by- 
Joshua : " We are those exiles that were governors 
of the Canaanites, but have been driven away by 
the robber Joshua, and are come to inhabit here." 
Moses Choronensis mentions also an Armenian 
family or tribe, descended from one of the Canaan- 
itish exiles, the manners of which country they still 
retained. The opposition of the Egyptian magicians 
to the miracles of Moses was mentioned by Nume- 
nius, the Exodus by Palemon, and the tablets of 
stone and the Hebrew rites in the verses ascribed to 
Orpheus ( u). Eupolemus said, that Moses exer- 
cised the office of a prophet almost forty years, and 
related the history of Abraham nearly as it is re- 
corded in Genesis (w). Several nations claimed 
Abraham as their ancestor, and his name and his- 
tory were celebrated by many eastern writers. In 
the decree issued by the magistrates of Pergamus, 
forty-four years before Christ, there is the following 
passage : " Our ancestors were friendly to the 
Jews, even in the days of Abraham, who was the 
father of all the Hebrews, as we have also found 
it set down in our public records (x). n Aristotle 
considered the Jews as derived from the Indian 
philosophers, which is a remarkable proof of his 
opinion of their high antiquity, and of the accu- 
racy of his investigation, as the Indians have been 
most satisfactorily traced to Chaldaea as their pa- 
rent country. Berosus ( y), who collected the antient 
Chaldsean monuments, and published treatises of 

their 

(s) He is supposed to have lived in the tenth century. He 
has preserved many fragments of much more antient authors in 
his Lexicon. 

(t) He lived in the fifth century. 

(u) Gray's Note, p. 97. 3d edit. 

(w) Eus. Praep. Ev. lib. 9. cap. 17. 

(x) Jos. Ant. lib. 14. cap. 10. 

(y) Berosus nourished in the reign of Ptolomy Philadelphia. 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. 29 

their astronomy and philosophy, gave an account 
in his history of a man among the Chaldaeans, in 
the tenth generation after the flood, " who was 
righteous, and great, and skilful in the celestial 
science (z) ;" which character agrees with that of 
Abraham, who is said by Josephus to have taught 
the Egyptians astronomy and arithmetic/of which 
sciences they were utterly ignorant before his 
time (a). The account also given by Berosus of 
the ten generations between the Creation and the 
Flood, the preservation of Noah or Xisuthrus in 
the ark, and the catalogue of his posterity, accord 
with the Mosaic history. Moses Choronensis, the 
Armenian historian before referred to, mentioned 
these and many other circumstances, which equally 
agree with the narration of Moses ; and in par- 
ticular he confirms the account of the Tower of 
Babel, from the earliest records belonging to the 
Armenian nation. In the time of Josephus there 
was a city in Armenia, which he calls Awo^ain^ iov, 
or the place of descent; it is called by Ptolemy 
Naxuana ; by Moses Choronensis, Idsheuan ; and 
at the place itself it was called Nach-idsheuan, 
which signifies the first place of descent. This city 
was a lasting monument of the preservation of 
Noah in the ark, upon the top of that mountain 
at whose foot it was built, as the first city or town 
after the Flood ( b). Moses Choronensis also says, 
that another town was related by tradition to 
have been called Seron, or the place of dispersion, 
on account of the dispersion of the sons of Xisu- 
thrus from thence (c). Nicolaus of Damascus 
related, in the fourth book of his history, that 

Abraham 
( z) Jos. Ant, lib. l. cap. 7. f Eus. Praep. Evang. lib. 9. cap. 16. 

(a) Jos. Ant. lib. 1. cap. 8. The recent discovery of the old 
Chaldaean sphere seems to place this assertion beyond the pos- 
sibility of doubt. Vide Maurice's History. 

(b) Jos. Ant. lib. I. cap. 3. 

(c) Note toWhiston's Josephus, b. 1. c. 3. 

C3 



30 Authenticity and Inspiration [part l 

Abraham reigned at Damascus (d) ; that he had 
come thither as a stranger, with an army, from a 
country above Babylon, called the Land of the 
Chaldaeans ; that after a short time, going thence 
with his multitude, he fixed his habitation in a 
country which was then called Canaan, and now 
Judaea, where his numerous descendants dwelt, 
whose history he writes in another book (e). To 
this enumeration of authorities from the remains 
of early writers, in which the facts, as related by 
Moses, may be evidently discerned, although in 
general they are mixed with fable, many others 
might be added. And whether we consider the 
information to be found in the later works of learned 
men, as derived from the Jewish Scriptures, or from 
other sources, the credit of the Mosaic history will 
perhaps be equally established, since they quoted 
from earlier authors. For let it be remembered, that 
Josephus appeals to the public records of different 
nations, and to a great number of books extant in 
his time, but now lost, as indisputable evidence, in 
the opinion of the heathen world, for the truth of 
the most remarkable events related in his history, 
the earlier periods of which he professes to have 
taken principally from the Pentateuch. 

Of the many traditions according with the Mo- 
saic history, which prevailed among the antient 
nations, and which still exist in several parts of the 
world, the following must be considered as singu- 
larly striking (f) : That the world was formed from 
rude and shapeless matter by the spirit of God ; 
that the seventh day was a holy day (g) ; that man 

was 

(d) Haran, where Abraham first settled, after he left Ur, 
was a part of Syria, of which Damascus was afterwards the 
principal city. 

(e) Jos. Ant. lib. 1. cap. 7. 

(f) Vide Stillingfieet and Maurice. 

(g) Many antient testimonies concerning the observance of 
the seventh day will be found in Whiston's Josephus, vol. 4.- 
Index 1st. and in Archbishop Usher's Letters. 



e h a p . i .] of the Old Testament. 3 1 

was created perfect, and had the dominion given 
him over all the inferior animals ; that there had 
been a golden age, when man, in a state of inno- 
cence, had open intercourse with heaven; that 
when his nature became corrupt, the earth itself 
underwent a change ; that sacrifice was necessary 
to appease the offended gods ; that there was an 
evil spirit continually endeavouring to injure man, 
and thwart the designs of the good spirit, but that 
he should at last be finally subdued, and universal 
happiness restored, through the intercession of a 
Mediator; that the life of man, during the first 
ages of the world, was of great length ; that there 
were ten generations previous to the General De- 
luge ; that only eight persons were saved out of the 
flood, in an ark, by the interposition of the Deity : 
these, and many other similar opinions, are related 
to have been prevalent in the antient world by 
Egyptian, Phoenician, Greek, and Roman authors ; 
and it is no small satisfaction to the friends of 
revealed religion, that this argument has lately re- 
ceived great additional strength from the discovery 
of an almost universal corresponding tradition, 
traced up among the nations, whose records have 
been the best preserved, to times even prior to the 
age of Moses. The treasures of oriental learning, 
which Mr. Maurice has collected with so much in- 
dustry, and explained with so much judgment, in 
his History and Antiquities of India, supply abu i- 
dance of incontrovertible evidence for the exist- 
ence of opinions in the early ages of the world, 
which perfectly agree with the leading articles 
of our faith, as well as with the principal events 
related in the Pentateuch. I must confine myself 
to a single extract from this interesting author: 
" Whether the reader will allow or not the inspira- 
tion of the sacred writer, his mind on the perusal 
must be struck with the force of one very remark- 
able fact, viz. that the names which are assigned 
C4 by 



32 Authenticity and Inspiration [part j, 

by Moses to eastern countries and cities, derived 
to them immediately from the patriarchs, their 
original founders, are for the most part the very 
names by which they were antiently known over 
all the East ; many of them were afterwards trans- 
lated, with little variation, by the Greeks in their 
systems of geography. Moses has traced, in one 
short chapter (h), all the inhabitants of the earth, 
from the Caspian and Persian seas to the extreme 
Gades, to their original, and recorded at once the 
period and occasion of their dispersion (i)" This 
fact, and the conclusions from it, which are thus 
incontrovertibly established by the newly acquired 
knowledge of the Sanscreet language, were con- 
tended for and strongly enforced by Bochart and 
Stillingfleet, who could only refer to oriental 
opinions and traditions, as they came to them 
through the medium of Grecian interpretation. 
To the late excellent and learned President of the 
Asiatic society, we are chiefly indebted for the 
light recently thrown from the East upon this im- 
portant subject. Avowing himself to be attached 
to no system, and as much disposed to reject the 
Mosaic history, if it were proved to be erroneous,. 
as to believe it, if he found it confirmed by sound 
reasoning and satisfactory evidence, he engaged in 
those researches to which his talents and situation 
were equally adapted ; and the result of his la- 
borious inquiries into the chronology, history, 
mythology, and languages of the nations, whence 
infidels have long derived their most formidable 
objections, was a full conviction that neither acci- 
dent nor ingenuity could account for the very 
numerous instances of similar traditions> and of 
near coincidence in the names of persons and 
places, which are to be found in the Bible, and in 

antient 

(h) Gen. ch. 10. 

(i) History of Hindostan, vol. K 



tHAKi.j of the Old Testament, 33 

antient monuments of eastern literature (k). Who* 
ever, indeed, is acquainted with the writings of Mr. 
Bryant and Mr. Maurice, and with the Asiatic 
Researches published at Calcutta, cannot but have 
observed, that the accounts of the Creation, the 
Fall, the Deluge, and the Dispersion of Mankind, 
recorded by the nations upon the vast continent 
of Asia, bear a strong resemblance to each other, 
and to the narrative in the sacred history, and 
evidently contain the fragments of one original 
truth, which was broken by the dispersion of the 
patriarchal families, and corrupted by length of 
time, allegory, and idolatry. From this universal 
concurrence on this head, one of these things is 
necessarily true; either that all these traditions 
must have been taken from the author of the book 
of Genesis, or, that the author of the book of 
Genesis made up his history from some or all such 
traditions as were already extant ; or lastly, that 
he received his knowledge of past events by reve- 
lation. Were, then, all these traditions taken 
from the Mosaic history ? It has been shewn by 
Sir William Jones and Mr. Maurice, that they 
were received too generally and too early to make 
this supposition even possible ; for they existed in 
different parts of the world in the very age when 
Moses lived. Was the Mosaic history composed 
from the traditions then existing? It is certain 
that the Chaldseans, the Persians, the most an- 
tient inhabitants of India, and the Egyptians, all 
possessed the same story ; but they had, by the 
time of Moses, wrapped it up in their own myste- 
ries, and disguised it by their own fanciful con- 
ceits: and surely no rational mind can believe, 
that if Moses had been acquainted with all the 
mystic fables of the East, as well as of Egypt, he 
could, out of such an endless variety of obscure 

allegory, 
(k) Asiatic Researches, and Maurice's History, vol. l. 
C5 



34 Authenticity and Inspiration [pakt i. 

allegory, by the power of human sagacity alone, 
have discovered their real origin ; much less, that, 
from a partial knowledge of some of them, he 
could have been able to discover the facts which 
suit and explain them all. His plain recital, how- 
ever, of the Creation, the Fall, the Deluge, and 
the Dispersion of Mankind, does unquestionably 
develope that origin, and bring to light those 
facts ; and it therefore follows, not only that the 
account is the true one, but, there being no 
human means of his acquiring the knowledge of it, 
that it was, as he asserts it to have been, revealed 
to him by God himself (I). 

We have now seen, from undoubted testimony, 
that the Pentateuch has been uniformly ascribed 
to Moses as its author ; that the most antient tra- 
ditions remarkably agree with his account of the 
Creation of the World, the Fall of Man, the De- 
luge, and the Dispersion of Mankind ; that about 
the time mentioned in the Pentateuch, a part of 
the inhabitants of Egypt, who came originally from 
the East, did migrate under a person of the name 
of Mpyses or Moses ; that a people, with such laws 
and institutions as he professes to have given them, 
have existed from remote antiquity ; and we our- 
selves are eye-witnesses that such a people, so 

circum- 

(l) We are to observe that the Mosaic history of the Crea- 
tion, the Fall of Man, the Deluge, and the Dispersion of 
Mankind, not only relates these events as facts which might 
have been handed down by tradition, but it describes in what 
manner these events happened, for what purposes they were 
designed, and what consequences, natural and moral, they 
were to produce; and that these very circumstances, pur- 
poses, and consequences, simply related, materially contribute 
to the explanation of all those mystic fables of the East, agree 
Avith the present state of the natural and moral world, and 
accord with the doctrines of Christianity. We may indeed 
retort the charge of credulity upon those, who can believe that 
any man could write such a history without direct Inspiration 
from Him " who knoweth all things." 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. 35 

circumstanced, exist at this hour, and in a state 
exactly conformable to his predictions concerning 
them. But it may be observed, that the civil history 
of the Jews is seldom contested, even by those who 
imagine the Pentateuch to have been written in 
some age subsequent to that of Moses, from a col- 
lection of Annals or Diaries ; it is the miraculous 
part of it which is disputed. To this observation, 
however, we may oppose the conclusive argument 
of a professed enemy to revealed religion (m) > 
" that the miraculous part of the Mosaic history 
is not like the prodigies of Livy, and other profane 
authors, unconnected with the facts recorded ; it 
is so intermixed and blended with the narrative, 
that they must both stand or fall together." With 
respect to the Annals, which are mentioned as the 
supposed foundation of this history, they must have 
been either true or false ; if true, the history of the 
Israelites remains equally marvellous ; if false, how 
was it possible for the history to acquire the credit 
and esteem in which it was so universally held ? 
But upon what is this supposition founded ? No 
particular person is mentioned, with any colour 
of probability, as the author or compiler of the 
Pentateuch ; no particular age is pointed out with 
any appearance of certainty, though that of Solo- 
mon is usually fixed upon as the most likely. Yet 
why the most enlightened period of the Jewish 
history should be chosen as the best adapted to for- 
gery or interpolation, nay to the most gross impo- 
sition that was ever practised upon mankind, it is 
difficult to conjecture. Was it possible, in such 
an age, to write the Pentateuch in the name of 
the venerated lawgiver of the Jews from a collec- 
tion of annals, and produce the firm belief that it 
actually had been written more than 400 years 

before; 

(m) Lord Bolingbroke's Letter, occasioned by one of 
Archbishop Tillotson's Sermons. 
C6 



36 Authenticity and Inspiration [part \. 

before ; and this not only throughout the nation 
itself, but among all those whom the extended 
fame of Solomon had connected with it, or had 
induced to study the history and pretensions of 
this extraordinary people ? 

But a more particular consideration of the con- 
tents of the Pentateuch, as relating immediately 
to the Jews, will furnish irrefragable arguments to 
prove its authenticity, and the truth of its claims 
to Inspiration. The Pentateuch contains direc- 
tions for the establishment of the civil and religious 
polity of the Jews, which, it is acknowledged,, ex- 
isted from the time of Moses ; it contains a code 
of laws, which every individual of the nation was 
required to observe with the utmost punctuality, 
under pain of the severest punishment, and with 
which, therefore, every individual must be supposed 
to have been acquainted ( n) ; it contains the his- 
tory of the ancestors of the Jews, in regular suc- 
cession from the creation of the world ; and a 
series of prophecies, which, in an especial manner, 
concerned themselves, and which must have been 
beyond measure interesting to a people who were 
alternately enjoying promised blessings, and suffer- 
ing under predicted calamities; it contains not 
only the wonders of creation and providence in a 

general 

(n) " Indeed the greatest part of mankind are so far from 
living according to their own laws, that they hardly know 
them ; but when they have sinned, they learn from others that 
they have transgressed the law. Those, also, who are in the 
highest and principal posts of the government, confess they 
are not acquainted with those laws, and are obliged to take 
such persons for their assessors in public administrations, as 
profess to have skill in those laws. But for our people, if any 
body do but ask any one of them about our laws, he will more 
readily tell them all, than he will tell his own name ; and this 
in consequence of our having learned them immediately, as 
soon as we became sensible of any thing, and of our haying 
them as it were engraven on our souls." Josephus against 
Apion. 

4 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. 37 

general view, but also repeated instances of the 
superintending care of the God of the whole earth 
over their particular nation, and the institution of 
feasts and ceremonies in perpetual remembrance of 
these divine interpositions ; and all these things are 
professedly addressed in the name, and to the con- 
temporaries, of Moses, to those who had seen the 
miracles he records, who had been witnesses to the 
events he relates, and who had heard the awful 
promulgation of the Law. Let any one reflect 
upon these extraordinary and wonderful facts, and 
surely he must be convinced that they could never 
have obtained the universal belief of those, among 
whose ancestors they are said to have happened, 
unless there had been the clearest evidence of their 
certainty and truth. Nor were these facts the 
transient occurrences of a single hour or day, and 
witnessed only by a small number of persons; 
on the contrary, some of them were continued 
through a space of forty years, and were known 
and felt by several millions of people ; the pillar 
of the cloud was seen by day, and the pillar of fire 
by night, during their whole journey in the wil- 
derness ( 0) ; nor did the manna fail till they had 
eaten of the corn in the land of Canaan (p). We --, 
see Moses, in the combined characters of leader, 
lawgiver, and historian, not once or twice, or as it 
were cautiously and surreptitiously, but avowedly 
and continually, appealing to the conviction of a 
whole people, who were witnesses of these mani- 
festations of divine power, for the justice of their 
punishments, and resting the authority of the Law 
upon the truth of the wonderful history he records. 
And farther, in order to preserve the accurate re- 
collection of these events, and prevent the possi- 
bility of any alteration in this histoiy, he expressly 

commanded 
(o) Exod. c. 40. v. 38. Numbers, c. 9. v. 22, 
(p) Exod. c. 16. v. 35. Joshua, c. 5. v. 12. 



38 Authenticity and Inspiration [part i. 

commanded that the whole Pentateuch (q) should 
be read at the end of every seven years, in the 
solemnity of the year of release, at the feast of 
tabernacles, in the hearing of all Israel, that all 
the people, men, women, and children, and the 
strangers within their gates, might hear, and learn 
to fear the 'Lord their God, and observe to do all 
the words of the Law; and especially that their 
children, who had not been eye-witnesses of the 
miracles which established its claim to their faith 
and obedience, might hear the marvellous history, 
which they were taught by their fathers, publicly 
declared and confirmed ; and learn to fear and obey 
the Lord their God from the wonders of creation 
and providence revealed to his servant Moses, and 
from the supernatural powers with which he was 
invested. We have the authority of tradition to 
say, that every tribe was furnished with a copy of 
the Law before the death of Moses ; and indeed, in 
almost every page of Scripture, the necessity of 
distributing numerous copies is implied, by the re- 
peated injunctions for public and private instruc- 
tion. Can we require a more striking proof of the 
existence and designed publicity of the Law, than 
the command to " write all the words of the Law 
very plainly on pillars of stone, and to set them 
up on the day they passed over Jordan (the day 
they took possession of the promised land) and to 
plaster them over to preserve themfr^)?" How 
could they " teach the Law diligently to their 
children, and explain to them the testimonies, and 
the statutes, and the judgments, and the history of 
their forefathers; talk of them when sitting in the 
house, when walking in the way, when they lay 
down, and when they rose up; bind the words 
for a sign upon their door-posts and gates, and 

upon 

(q ) Deut. c. 31. v. 10, &c. 

(r) Deut. c. 27. v. 2. Vide Patrick in loc. 



chap. I.] of the Old Testament. 39 

upon their hands, and as frontlets between their 
eyes (s)," unless the Law had at that time been 
written, and they could have had easy access to 
copies of it ? Words cannot express more strongly 
than these do, the general obligation of the people 
to acquire an accurate knowledge of the Law, 
and to pay a constant habitual attention to its 
precepts, whether these directions be taken in a 
literal or figurative sense. " Scribes of the Law" 
are mentioned very early, though it is uncertain 
whether they were established as a body of men till 
after the Captivity ; and their very name affords 
some testimony to a number of copies. But must 
not the cities of the priests, who were commanded 
to teach the people, and the schools of the pro- 
phets, have been supplied with copies ? And surely 
the office of the Levite, whom every family was 
" to keep within their gates," must have been to 
teach the Law. The command that every king, 
upon his accession to the throne, should " write 
him a copy of the Law in a book, out of that 
which is before the priests (t)" is a proof not only 
that the Law existed in writing, but that there 
was a copy of it under the peculiar care of the 
priests, that is, deposited in the tabernacle or 
temple. Jacobus Capellus thought that the read- 
ing of the Law on every sabbath and festival was 
as old as the time of Joshua, but that it was neg- 
lected in the reign of wicked kings ; and the ques- 
tion of the Shunamite woman's husband, " where- 
fore wilt thou go up to him (the man of God) 
to day? It is neither new-moon nor sabbath (u)" is 
a strong confirmation of his opinion, or at least of 
its being the custom several hundred years before 
the Captivity. And St. Luke informs us, that 

" Moses 

(s) Deut. c. 6. 

(t) Deut. c. 17. v. 18. 

( u) 2 Kings, c 4. v. 23. 



40 Authenticity and Inspiration [part 1< 

" Moses in old time had in every city them that 
preached him, being read in the synagogues every 
sabbath day (w)" which may refer to a still earlier 
period. 

Is it credible that any people would have sub- 
mitted to so rigorous and burdensome a law as that 
of Moses, unless they had been fully convinced, by 
a series of miracles, that he was a prophet sent 
from God? and being thus convinced of the divine 
mission of Moses, would they have suffered any 
writing to pass under his venerated name, of which 
he was not really the author ? Had fraud or im- 
posture of any kind belonged to any part of it, 
would not the Israelites, at the moment of rebel- 
lion, have availed themselves of that circumstance 
as a ground or justification of their disobedience? 
" The Jews were exceedingly prone to transgress 
the Law of Moses, and to fall into idolatry ; but if 
there had been any the least suspicion of any falsity 
or imposture in the writings of Moses, the ring- 
leaders of their revolts would have sufficiently pro- 
mulged it among them, as the most plausible plea 
to draw them off from the worship of the true God. 
Can we think that a nation and religion so maligned 
as the Jewish were, could have escaped discovery, 
if there had been any deceit in it, when so many 
lay in wait continually to expose them to all con- 
tumelies imaginable ? Nay, among themselves, in 
their frequent apostasies, and occasions given for 
such a pretence, how comes this to be never heard 
of, nor in the least questioned, whether the Law 
was undoubtedly of Moses's writing or no ? What 
an excellent plea would this have been for Jero- 
boam's calves in Dan and Bethel, for the Samaritan 
temple on Mount Gerizim, could any the least sus- 
picion have been raised among them concerning 
the Authenticity of the fundamental records of the 

Jewish 
(w) Acts, c. 15. v. 21. 



chap..].] of the Old Testament. 41 

Jewish commonwealth ? And, which is most ob- 
servable, the Jews, who were a people strangely 
suspicious and incredulous while they were fed and 
clothed by miracles, yet could never find ground 
to question this ; nay, and Moses himself we plainly 
see, was hugely envied by many of the Israelites 
even in the wilderness, as is evident in the conspi- 
racy of Korah and his accomplices ; and that on 
this very ground, that ' he took too much upon 
him;' how unlikely then is it, that amidst so many 
enemies he should dare to venture any thing inta 
public records, which was not most undoubtedly 
true, or undertake to prescribe a law to oblige the 
people to posterity ; or that after his own age any 
thing should come out under his name, which 
would not be presently detected by the emulators 
of his glory ? What then, is the thing itself, in- 
credible ? Surely not, that Moses should write the 
records we speak of. Were they not able to un- 
derstand the truth of it. What, not those who 
were in the same age, and conveyed it down by a 
certain tradition to posterity? Or, did not the 
Israelites all constantly believe it ? What, not they 
who would sooner part with their lives and fortunes 
than admit any variation or alteration as to their 
Law (x) 1" 

The first submission to such a Law as that of 
Moses, must have been while all the tremendous 
circumstances of its promulgation were fresh upon 
their minds ; and indeed the nature and design of 
the institution demanded that it should be carried 
into immediate effect (y). And could the Israelites 

have 

(x) Stillingfleet, Or. Sacrse, book 2. ch. I. 

(y) Stillingfleet observes, that it is not easily believed that 
a people whose characteristic was stubbornness, would have 
been brought to submit to such a law, unless they had been 
habituated to it previous to their settlement in the land of 
Canaan ; or that a nation, whose subsistence was derived 
from agriculture and pasturage, would have submitted to laws 

apparently 



' / :• 



42 Authenticity and Inspiration [part l 

have continued for any length of time in observ- 
ance of all these numerous ordinances and regu- 
lations, religious and civil, without any written 
authority to refer to? Is there any instance of 
this sort in the history of the civilized part of man- 
kind ? of a legislator requiring obedience to laws 
orally delivered, without giving a lex scripta as a 
rule of conduct (z), a criterion by which disputes 
were to be decided, and offenders were to be 
judged? Among the many peculiarities of the 
Jewish nation noticed by profane authors, is any 
circumstance of this kind mentioned or alluded to? 
Had any such thing ever existed, it must have been 
known to the Jews* who were living when the 
Law was put into its present form ; and remark- 
able as it would have been, the memory of it must 
have been transmitted to all succeeding ages, 
Moses not only required obedience to his laws, 
but he ordered that no alteration should be made 
in them ; " Ye shall not add unto the word which 
I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught 
from it (a)." There must surely have been a writ- 
ten copy of the Law, which was to be thus strictly 
observed. 

Bishop Stillingfleet considers the " national con- 
stitution and settlement of the Jews," as of itself a 

decisive 

(z) It is said that Lycurgus did not commit his laws to 
writing ; but whoever reads an account of them in Plutarch 
will observe, that they were merely general political regula- 
tions, and very different from the minute and particular laws 
of Moses, which extended to every point, civil, moral, and 
religious. Besides, Lycurgus's regulations were introduced 
into a city with a very small surrounding territory, which 
had a kingly government previously established in it. 

(a) Deut. c. 4. v. 2. 

apparently so contrary to their interest, as those relating 
to the sabbatical and jubilee years, unless they had been con- 
vinced that miraculous plenty and security would be the 
certain consequence of obedience. For observations on the 
sabbatical and jubilee years, see Whiston on the Chronology 
of Josephus. 



chap, l.] of the Old Testament, 43 

decisive proof of the genuineness of the Penta- 
teuch ; " Can we," says he, " have more undoubted 
evidence that there were such persons as Solon, 
Lycurgus, andNuma, and that the laws bearing 
their names were theirs, than the history of the 
several commonwealths of Athens, Sparta, and 
Rome, which were governed by those laws ? When 
writings are not of general concernment, they 
may be more easily counterfeited ; but when they 
concern the rights, privileges, and government of 
a nation, there will be enough whose interest will 
lead them to prevent impostures. It is no easy 
matter to forge a Magna Charta, and to invent 
laws; men's caution and prudence are never so 
quick-sighted as in matters which concern their 
estates and freeholds. The general interest of men 
lies contrary to such impostures, and therefore they 
will prevent their obtaining among them. Now 
the laws of Moses are incorporated with the very 
republic of the Jews, and their subsistence and 
government depend upon them ; their religion and 
laws are so interwoven one with the other, that 
one cannot be broken ofT from the other. Their 
right to their temporal possessions in the land of 
Canaan depended on their owning the sovereignty 
of God, who gave them to them, and on the truth 
of the history recorded by Moses concerning the 
promises made to the patriarchs ; so that on that 
account it was impossible those laws should be 
counterfeit, on which the welfare of the nation 
depended, and according to which they were go- 
verned ever since they were a nation. So that I 
shall now take it to be sufficiently proved, that the 
writings under the name of Moses were undoubt- 
edly his ; for none, who acknowledge the laws to 
have been his, can have the face to deny his 
history, there being so necessary a connection 
between them, and the book of Genesis being 
nothing else but a general and very necessary 

intra- 



44 Authenticity and Inspiration [part i. 

introduction to that which follows (b)" Let then 
those who are disposed to doubt the Authenticity 
of the Pentateuch, consider its real importance 
to the Jewish people, and the high veneration in 
which it was unquestionably held, and surely they 
must be convinced of the impossibility of igno- 
rance or mistake concerning any fact relative to it ; 
and in particular, it will appear scarcely credible, 
that the Jews should err in attributing it to any 
person who was not its real author, or that they 
should not know who it was that digested it into 
the shape in which we now have it, from mate- 
rials left by Moses, had it been compiled in that 
manner in some subsequent age. The silence of 
history and tradition upon this point is a suffi- 
cient proof that no such compilation ever took 
place. If we believe that Moses led the Israelites 
out of Egypt, why should we not believe that he 
wrote the account of that deliverance ? If we be- 
lieve that God enabled Moses to work miracles, 
why should we not believe that he also enabled 
him to write the history of the creation ? 

But there are some who admit that the Penta- 
teuch was written by Moses, and yet contend that 
the narrative of the Creation and of the Fall of 
Man is not a recital of real events, but an ingeni- 
ous Mythologue invented to account for the origin 
of human evil, and designed as an introduction to 
a history, a great part of which they consider as 
poetic fiction. If it be granted that Moses was an 
inspired lawgiver, it becomes impossible to sup- 
pose that he wrote a fabulous account of the 
creation and the fall of man, and delivered it as a 
divine revelation, because that would have been 
little, if at all, short of blasphemy; we must, 
therefore, believe this account to be true, or, that 
it was declared and understood by the people, to 

whom 
(b) StUlingfleet's Orig, Sac, b, 2, c, U 



chap, l.] of the Old Testament. 45 

whom it was addressed, to be allegorical. No 
such declaration was ever made; nor is there any 
mention of such an opinion being generally pre- 
valent among the Jews in any early writing. The 
Rabbis indeed of later times built a heap of ab- 
surd doctrines upon this history ; but this proves, 
if it proves any thing, that their ancestors ever 
understood it as a literal and true account; and 
in fact, the truth of every part of the narrative 
contained in the book of Genesis is positively 
confirmed by the constant testimony of a people 
who preserved a certain unmixed genealogy from 
father to son, through a long succession of ages ; 
and by these people we are assured, that their 
ancestors ever did believe that this account, as 
far as it fell within human cognizance, had the 
authority of uninterrupted tradition from their 
first parent Adam, till it was written by the in- 
spired pen of Moses. The great length to which 
human life was extended in the patriarchal ages, 
rendered it very practicable for the Jews, in the 
time of Moses, to trace their lineal descent as far 
as the Flood, nay even to Adam ; for Adam con- 
versed 56 years with Lamech, Noah's father, 
Lamech being born a.m. 874, and Adam having 
died a.m. 930; and Methuselah, Noah's grand- 
father, who was born a.m. 687, did not die till 
a.m. 1656, according to Archbishop Usher, so 
that he was 243 years contemporary with Adam, 
and 600 with Noah. Shem, the son of Noah, was 
probably living in some part of Jacob's time, or 
Isaac's at least ; and Moses was great grandson 
of Levi, one of the sons of Jacob. How easily 
then, and uninterruptedly, might the general tra- 
dition be continued to the time of Moses ! Could 
the grandchildren of Jacob be ignorant of their 
own pedigree, and of the time when they came into 
Egypt ? Can we think that so many remarkable 
circumstances, as attended the selling and advance- 
ment 



46 Authenticity and Inspiration [part 1. 

ment of Joseph, could be forgotten in so short a 
time ? Could Jacob be ignorant from whence his 
grandfather Abraham came, especially as he lived 
so long in the country himself, and married into 
that branch of the family which was remaining 
there ? Could Abraham be ignorant of the Flood, 
when he was contemporary with, and descended 
from Shem, one of the eight persons who escaped 
in the ark? Could Shem be ignorant of what 
passed before the Flood, when Adam, the first 
man, lived so near the time of Noah ? And could 
Noah be ignorant of the Creation and Fall of 
Man (c), when he was contemporary with those 
who conversed with Adam ? Can we then, setting 
aside Inspiration for a moment, believe it possible, 
that while there must have been so many remain- 
ing testimonies of former times, any lawgiver in 
his senses would have written a false account of 
those times, in a book which he ordered to be 
read publicly and frequently, as well as privately, 
by those very people who had clearly the power 
of contradicting it, and by convicting him of 
falsehood, of absolutely destroying his authority? 
or, that Moses would adopt the style of allegory 
in the beginning of a book professedly written for 
the use of a plain unlettered people (d), and con- 
taining a narrative of events which had passed 
before their eyes, and a code of laws which were 
to be literally observed ; that he would introduce 
a grave history of real occurrences, a detailed 
practical system of jurisprudence and of religion, 

by 

(c) Although general accounts of these great events might 
be conveyed thus easily by tradition from Adam to Moses, 
yet, it should be observed, that there are many circumstances 
relative to them recorded in Genesis, which could be known 
only by immediate revelation from God. 

(d) We ought always to remember, that the writings of 
Moses were addressed to the people in general, and not con- 
fined to the priesthood or the learned. 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. 47 

by a fictitious representation of the wonders of 
Creation and Providence ? 

" The account of the Creation," says Mr. Gray, 
" is not to be considered as allegorical, or merely 
figurative, any more than the history of the Temp- 
tation, and of the Fall from Innocence, since the 
whole description is unquestionably delivered as 
real, and is so considered by all the sacred writ- 
ers ( e). In the explanation of Scripture, indeed, no 
interpretation, which tends to supersede the literal 
sense, should be admitted; and for this reason 
also it is, that those speculations, which are spun 
out with a view to render particular relations in 
the book of Genesis more consistent with our ideas 
of probability, should be received at least with great 
diffidence and caution. To represent the forma- 
tion of the woman from Adam's rib, as a work 
performed in an imaginary sense, or as pictured to 
the mind in vision, seems to be too great a depar- 
ture from the plain rules which should be observed 
in the construction of Scripture (f) s and inconsist- 
ent with the expositions of the sacred writers. So 
likewise the wrestling of Jacob with an angel (g), 
though sometimes considered as a scenical repre- 
sentation addressed to the fancy of the Patriarch, 
should rather be contemplated, like the tempta- 
tion of Abraham, as a literal transaction, though 
perhaps of a figurative character ; and like that, it 
was designed to convey information, by actions 

instead 

(e) John, e. 8. v. 44. 2 Cor. c. 1 1. v. 3. 1 Tim. c 2. v. 13. 
Rev. c. 12. v. 9. Allix's Reflections on Genesis. Waterland's 
General Preface to Scripture Aindicated. Witty's Essay to- 
wards Vindication of Mosaic History. Nichol's Conference 
with a Theist. Bochart de Scrip. Tentat. 

(f) Gen. c. l. v. 22 and 23. This is related by Moses as 
a real operation, though performed while Adam was in a deep 
sleep, and is so considered by the sacred write s. l Cor. c, 1 1 . 
v. 8 and 9. 

(g) Gen. c. 32. v. 24. 



48 Authenticity and Inspiration [parti. 

instead of words, of certain particulars, which it 
imported the Patriarch to know, and which he 
readily collected from a mode of revelation so 
customary in the early ages of the world, however 
it may seem incongruous to those who cannot raise 
their minds to the contemplation of any economy 
which they have not experienced, and who proudly 
question every event not consistent with their no- 
tions of propriety (h)J' " To consider the whole 
of the Mosaic narration as an allegory, is not only 
to throw over it the veil of inexplicable confusion, 
and involve the whole Pentateuch in doubt and 
obscurity, but to shake to its very basis Chris- 
tianity, which commences in the promise, that 
' the seed of the woman should bruise the head of 
the serpent/ In reality, if we take the history of 
the Fall in any other sense than the obvious literal 
sense, we plunge into greater perplexities than 
ever. Some well-meaning pious commentators 
have indeed endeavoured to reconcile all difficul- 
ties, by considering some parts of the Mosaic 
history in an allegorical, and other parts in a literal 
sense ; but this is to act in a manner utterly in- 
consistent with the tenor and spirit of that history, 
and with the views of a writer, the distinguishing 
characteristics of whose production are simplicity, 
purity, and truth. There is no medium nor pal- 
liation ; the whole is allegorical, or the whole is 
literal (i)P 

The practice of allegorizing Scripture has been 
attended with the worst consequences. Though 
the Bible abounds with figurative language, and 
the sacred writers continually use metaphors to 
illustrate or enforce their meaning, yet we may 
venture to pronounce, that in no one book of the 
Old or New Testament, which professes to relat& 

past 

(h) Gray's Key, p. 87. edit. 3d. 

(i) Maurice's History, v. 1. p. 368. 



chap. I.] of the Old Testament. 49 

past (recurrences, is there a single instance of alle- 
gory. This observation, which is meant to be 
confined to the historical parts of Scripture pro- 
perly so called, is perfectly consistent with the 
typical nature of many circumstances of the Jew- 
ish history. It is only maintained, that the nar- 
ratives of past events are universally to be taken in 
their plain and literal sense ; and it is to be wished 
that all readers of the Scriptures, and particularly 
young students in divinity, would keep that prin- 
ciple constantly in their minds. If allegory be 
allowed to be applicable in all eases, there is an 
«nd of certainty in Scripture history, and a door is 
opened to the wildest suggestions of the most ex- 
travagant imagination. Our own ideas of proba- 
bility or propriety are not to be the criterion, by 
which we are to decide upon the reality of trans- 
actions recorded in the Bible ; nor are we to ques- 
tion the truth of Scripture history, because we 
cannot, always reconcile God's dealings with man- 
kind to our notions of justice and mercy. Our 
partial and imperfect knowledge of the great plans 
of Divine Providence should teach us to judge of 
the counsels of the Almighty with humility and 
diffidence. The short-sighted reason of man is 
but ill qualified to pass sentence upon the decrees 
of infinite wisdom ; and the consciousness of this 
incompetence will be the best preservative against 
the bad effects of that arrogant and irreverent 
presumption, with which the Word of God is 
treated in the present age. 

Among the objections to the divine authority of 
the Pentateuch, the command to destroy the na- 
tions of Canaan is considered as being absolutely 
irreconcileable with divine justice, and therefore 
as impossible to have proceeded from God. It is 
a curious example of the inconsistency of sceptical 
arguments, that the destruction of the inhabitants 
of a small part of the earth is pronounced to be 
D incompatible 



50 Authenticity and Inspiration [part i, 

incompatible with the divine attributes, while the 
destruction of the whole world by the deluge is 
passed by without any such comment. But the 
deluge is a fact authenticated by such variety of 
proofs, and so universally acknowledged in all 
ages and countries, that its consistency with the 
justice of God must be allowed, or his moral go- 
vernment must be at once denied. And yet, in 
reality, the general destruction of the human race 
by the deluge, and the partial extermination of 
the inhabitants of Canaan by the Israelites, are to 
be accounted for upon precisely the same principle. 
In both cases it w T as the enormous wickedness of 
the people which drew upon them such signal 
punishment : " The earth also was corrupt before 
God, and the earth was filled with violence : And 
God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was 
corrupt ; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon 
the earth. And God said to Noah, The end of all 
flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with 
violence through them ; and behold, I will destroy 
them from the earth (k)." And Moses expressly 
declared to the people of Israel, when they were 
about to take possession of Canaan, the cause 
which brought upon the inhabitants the punishment 
of destruction; " Speak not thou in thy heart, 
after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out 
from before thee, saying, For my righteousness the 
Lord hath brought me in to possess this land ; but 
for the wickedness of these nations, the Lord doth 
drive them out from before thee : not for thy righte- 
ousness, or for the uprightness of thy heart, dost 
thou go to possess their land ; but for the wicked- 
ness of these nations the Lord thy God doth drive 
them out from before thee (I)." When God first 
promised the land of Canaan to the seed of Abra- 
ham, he expressly declared that they were not to take 

possession 
(k) Gen. c. 6. v. 11, &c. (1) Deut. c. 9. v. 4 and 5. 



chap, i.] of the Old Testament. 51 

possession of it till the fourth generation after they 
should remove into Egypt, A Because the iniquity 
of the Amorites is not yet full f raj," that is, would 
not till then be full. It will scarcely be disputed 
that God might have given the children of Abraham 
more immediate possession of the land of Canaan, 
had he seen fit. It therefore appears, that the com- 
parative righteousness of one nation postponed the 
fate of several others above 400 years ; and that it 
was not till the measure of wickedness was com- 
pleted, that they were destroyed by the outstretched 
arm of the Almighty, who led on his chosen people, 
and commanded them to execute his judgments 
upon these incorrigibly wicked nations, which were 
designed at the same time to be a warning to them- 
selves (n). And thus this command, so far from 
being repugnant to the attributes of God, affords 
an example of his mercy and forbearance, and 
establishes rather than invalidates the truth of the 
Pentateuch, and its claim to divine authority. 

With respect to the marks of a posterior date, 
or at least of posterior interpolation, so often urged 
with an insidious design to weaken the authority 
of the Pentateuch, it will be sufficient to observe, 
that it may safely be admitted that Joshua, Samuel, 
or some one of the succeeding prophets, wrote the 
account of the death of Moses, contained in the 
last chapter of Deuteronomy ; and that Ezra, when 
he transcribed the history written by Moses, changed 

the 

(m) Gen. c. 15. v. 16. 

(n) " Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God, in 
not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his 
statutes, which I command thee this day — It shall be, if 
thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other 
gods, and serve them, and worship them ; I testify against you 
this day, that ye shall surely peiish. As the nations which 
the Lord destroy eth before your face, so shall ye perish, because 
ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God." 
— Deut. c. 8. v. 11. 19 and 20. / 

D 2 



52 Authenticity and Inspiration [part u 

the names of some places, which were then become 
obsolete, to those by which they were called in his 
time, and added, for the purpose of elucidation, 
the few passages which are allowed to be not suit- 
able to the age of Moses. Now, surely when it is 
considered that these few passages are of an ex- 
planatory nature ; that they are easily distinguished 
from the original writings of Moses; and that 
Ezra was himself an inspired writer raised up by 
God to re-establish the Jewish church, after the 
return from captivity, the cavils founded upon such 
circumstances can scarcely be thought deserving 
of any serious attention. 

It is sometimes asserted that there is a sameness 
of language and style in the different books of the 
Old Testament, which is not compatible with the 
different ages usually assigned to them, and thence 
an inference is drawn unfavourable to the Authen- 
ticity of these books, and particularly to that of 
the Pentateuch. To this objection we may answer, 
that it is founded upon an untrue assertion ; for 
those who are best acquainted with the original 
writings of the Old Testament agree, that there is 
a marked difference in the style and language of 
its several authors ; and one learned man in parti- 
cular concludes from that difference, " that it is 
certain the five books, which are ascribed to Moses, 
were not written in the time of David, the Psalms 
of David in the age of Isaiah, nor the Prophecies 
of Isaiah in the time of Malachi (o)" But let us 
consider the case of the Greek authors, whose 
works have come down to the present time. The 
age of Hesiod and Homer, the two oldest Greek 
writers, is not precisely known ; but Blair, and 
most other chronologers, place them about 900 
years before Christ ; and we know that Longinus, 
who was perhaps the latest of the authors called 

classical, 

(0) Marsh on the Authenticity of the five books of Moses. 



chap. I.] of the Old Testament, 53 

classical, lived towards the end of the third century 
after Christ; there was therefore an interval of 
almost 1200 years before Homer and Longinus, 
which happens rather to exceed the interval be- 
tween Moses and Malachi, the first and last of the 
Hebrew authors. If therefore the Greek language 
remained through twelve centuries without any 
material change, why might not the Hebrew ? In 
fact, the Hebrew was less liable to alteration, be- 
cause the Hebrews, till the Captivity, had very 
little intercourse with other nations. But the argu- 
ment from the Greek language is still stronger, 
even if it be confined to prose writers, whose ages 
are certainly known. It will readily be granted 
that Herodotus wrote his history about 450 years 
before Christ, and that Eustathius wrote his com- 
mentary upon Homer nearly 1200 after Christ; 
and therefore these two writers shew that the Greek 
language changed but little through a period of 
more than 1600 years. It will not be imagined 
that I consider the style of Homer, Herodotus, 
Longinus, and Eustathius, as exactly, or even 
nearly the same ; I only contend that there is the 
same degree of resemblance between Greek, as 
there is between Hebrew authors, who lived at 
similar intervals. 

I have thought it right to notice these objections, 
because I have lately seen a good deal of import- 
ance attributed to them ; and indeed such objec- 
tions are very frequent in modern publications. 
Those who advance them, know but too well, that 
by stating them in a specious and confident man- 
ner, they may shake the faith of the unwary, and 
by degrees draw them over to their own sceptical 
opinions. Let me then caution my young readers 
against these insidious and mischievous attempts. 
Let the direct and positive proofs of the divine 
authority of the Scriptures, or of any other branch 
of our religion which may be attacked, be con- 
d 3 stantly 



54 Authenticity and Inspiration, fyc. [part i, 
stantly recollected. Let it be remembered, that 
upon every point, however clearly and undoubt- 
edly proved, it is easy to find cavils and difficulties ; 
and that to these cavils and difficulties there must 
be satisfactory answers, although they may not 
occur to the mind, or have not fallen within the 
reading, of every person. Above all, let recourse 
be had upon all such occasions to this general 
principle. — That when the truth of any proposition 
is established upon just and legitimate grounds, or 
when any doctrine is revealed in the written Word 
of God, no weight whatever is due to objections 
founded in probable reasoning, metaphysical spe- 
culation, or conjectural criticism; and we may 
safely pronounce, that no other have ever been 
brought to oppose the conclusions which we have 
seen derived from facts, by arguments obviously 
resulting from those facts, and consistent with 
each other, in favour of the Authenticity and 
Inspiration of the antieat Scriptures. 



t 55 ] 

PART I. 



CHAPTER THE SECOND: 

OF THE 

CONTENTS OF THE SEVERAL BOOKS 

OP 

THE OLD TESTAMENT. 



HP he book of Genesis (a), which derives its name 
-*- from a Greek word signifying generation or pro- 
duction, comprehends a period of about 2369 years. 
It begins with the history of the creation of the 
World in six days, and contains also an account 
of the disobedience and punishment of Adam and 
Eve; the increase of mankind; the progress of 
wickedness ; the general destruction of the human 
race by the deluge, except Noah and his family, 
who were miraculously preserved in the ark ; the 
promise of God that the world should no more be. 
destroyed by a flood; the confusion of tongues, 
and the dispersion of the descendants of Noah ; 
the call of Abraham, and the covenant of God with 
him; the repetition of that covenant with Isaac 
and Jacob; the destruction of Sodom and Go- 
morrha ; the history of Joseph, and the settlement 
of the Israelites in Egypt. 

The 

fa) Ttytffis a yjyejUflt, sum, fio. 

i>4 



f } 6 Contents of tlie several Books [part l 

The book of Exodus (b) is so named, because it 
relates the departure of the Israelites out of Egypt, 
It comprehends the history of about 145 years; 
and the principal events contained in it are, the 
bondage of the Israelites in Egypt, and their 
miraculous deliverance by the hand of Moses ; 
their entrance into the wilderness of Sinai ; the 
promulgation of the Law, and the building of the 
tabernacle. 

The book of Leviticus describes the office and 
duties of the Levites and priests, all of whom were 
descended from Levi. It contains a minute ac- 
count of the religious rites and ceremonies which 
were to be observed by the Jews, and records the 
transactions of only one month. 

The book of Numbers contains an account of 
the numbering of the people of Israel, both in the 
beginning of the second year after their departure 
out of Egypt, and at the conclusion of their journey 
in the wilderness. It comprehends a period of 
about 38 years, but most of the events related m it 
happened in the first and last of those years. The 
date of the facts recorded in the middle of the book 
cannot be precisely ascertained. The principal 
contents of this book, besides the numbering of 
the people, already noticed, are, the consecration of 
the tabernacle ; the encampments of the Israelites, 
with a relation of the circumstances which attend- 
ed their wandering in the wilderness ; a repetition 
of several of the principal laws which had been 
before given to the Israelites, with an addition of 
some new precepts both civil and religious; an 
enumeration of the twelves tribes, and directions 
for the division of the land of Canaan, of which 
t they were about to take possession. 

The book of Deuteronomy (c), as its name de- 
notes-,, 

(b) Exodus signifies departure, from if out, and «$e« waj\ 

(c) From lsvre$o$ second, and wpos law, 



€HAi». ii.] of the Old Testament. 57 

notes, contains a repetition of the civil and mora* 
law, which was a second time delivered by Moses 
with some additions and explanations, as well to 
impress it more forcibly upon the Israelites in ge- 
neral, as in particular for the benefit of those, who, 
being born in the wilderness, were not present at 
the first promulgation of the Law. It contains also 
a recapitulation of the several events which had 
befallen the Israelites since their departure from 
Egypt, with severe reproaches for their past mis- 
conduct, and earnest exhortations to future obe- 
dience. The Messiah is explicitly foretold in this 
book ; and there are many predictions interspersed 
in different parts of it, particularly in the 28th, 
30th, 3 2d, and 33d chapters, relative to the future 
condition of the Jews. The book of Deuteronomy 
includes only the short period of about two months, 
and finishes with an account of the death of Moses, 
which is supposed to have been added by his suc- 
cessor Joshua. 

These five books were written by Moses ; and, 
according to Archbishop Usher, they contain the 
history of 2552 years and an half. 

The book of Joshua comprehends the history of 
about 30 years. It contains an account of the 
conquest and division of the land of Canaan, the 
renewal of the covenant with the Israelites, and 
the death of Joshua. There are two passages in this 
book, which shew that it was written by a person 
contemporary with the events it records. In the 
first verse of the fifth chapter, the author speaks 
of himself as being one of those who had passed 
into Canaan : " And it came to pass when all the 
kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of 
Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaan- 
ites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord 
had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the 
children of Israel, until we were passed over, that 
their heart melted." And from the 25th verse of 
d 5 the 



58 Contents of the sever a I Books [part i , 

the following chapter it appears, that the book was 
written before the death of Rahab : " And Joshua 
saved Rahob the harlot alive, and her father's 
houshold, and all that she had; and she dwelleth 
in Israel even unto this day ; because she hid the 
messengers which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho." 
Though there is not a perfect agreement among 
the learned concerning the author of this book, 
yet by far the most general opinion is, that it was 
written by Joshua himself; and indeed in the last 
chapter it is said, that " Joshua wrote these words 
in the Book of the Law of God," which expression 
seems to imply, that he subjoined this history to 
that written by Moses. The five last verses, giving 
an account of the death of Joshua, were added 
by one of his successors, probably by Eleazer, 
Phinehas, or Samuel. 

The book of Judges treats principally of those 
illustrious persons, who, under the name of Judges, 
governed Israel in the intermediate time between 
Joshua and the establishment of regal government. 
This book has been ascribed to Phinehas, to Heze- 
kiah, and to Ezekiel ; and some learned men have 
thought that it was compiled by Ezra, from me- 
moirs left by the respective judges of their own 
judicatures. But the best founded opinion seems 
to be, that it was written by Samuel, the last of 
the judges. That it was written before the reign 
of David, is proved by the following passage : 
" The Jebusites dwell with the children of Benja- 
man in Jerusalem unto this day ( d) ;" for it is cer- 
tain that the Jebusites were driven out of that city 
early in the reign of David ( e). The beginning of 
the book of Judges gives an account of the farther 
conquests of the Israelites in the land of Canaan ; 
of their disobedience to the commands of God, , 
and of their consequent subjection to the king of 

Mesopotamia ; 

(d) Judg. c. 1. v. 21. (e) 2 Sam. c. 5. 



chap. 11.] of the Old Testament. 59 

Mesopotamia ; it then states the appointment of 
Othniel, the first Judge of Israel, and continues the 
history to the death of Samson. These events are 
contained in the first sixteen chapters ; and in the 
1 7th and remaining chapters are recorded several 
remarkable occurrences, which were omitted in 
their proper places, that they might not interrupt 
the course of the general history of the judges. 
This book includes a period of about 309 years, 
from the death of Joshua to that of Samson ; but 
there is a great difficulty in settling the precise 
chronology of the several facts related in it, be- 
cause many of them are reckoned from different 
eeras, which cannot now be exactly ascertained. 

The book of Ruth is so called from the name of 
the person, a native of Moab, whose history it con- 
tains. It may be considered as a supplement to the 
book of Judges, to which it was joined in the 
Hebrew canon, and the latter part of which it 
greatly resembles, being a detached story belong- 
ing to the same period. Ruth had a son called 
Obed, who was the grandfather of David, which 
circumstance probably occasioned her history to be 
written as the genealogy of David, from Pharez 
the son of Judah, from whom the Messiah was to 
spring, is here given; and some commentators 
have thought, that the descent of our Saviour from 
Ruth, a Gentile woman, was an intimation of the 
comprehensive nature of the Christian dispensar 
tion. We are no where informed when Ruth 
lived ; but as king David was her great grandson, 
we may place her history about 1 250 years before 
Christ. This book was certainly written after the 
birth of David, and probably by the prophet Sa- 
muel, though some have attributed it to Hezekiah, 
and others to Ezra. 

The latter part of the book of Judges, and the 
whole book of Ruth, may be considered as digres- 
sions. The general thread of the sacred history 
J> Q is 



6o Contents of the several Books [part i, 

is resumed in the first book of Samuel, which com- 
pletes the government of the judges, ofwhomElr 
and Samuel were the last two ; and it relates the 
choice and rejection of Saul, the first king of the 
Israelites, and the anointing of David in his stead, 
with a most interesting account of the early part 
of the life of David, and of the reign and death of 
Saul. It is generally supposed that Samuel wrote 
the first twenty-four chapters, and that the rest 
Avere written by the prophets Gad and Nathan (f). 
This opinion is founded upon the following passage 
in the first book of Chronicles : " Now the acts of 
David the king, first and last, behold they are 
written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the 
book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of 
Gad the seer (g) ;" whence it is evident that there 
were formerly three books written respectively by 
Samuel, Gad, and Nathan, which together com- 
prehended the whole history of David ; and it is 
imagined that these books were afterwards placed 
as one in the Hebrew canon, and called the book 
of Samuel, because he was the most distinguished 
of its three authors. In our canon this book is 
divided into two, which are called the first and 
second books of Samuel ; and in the Septuagint 
and Vulgate (h) they are called the first and 
second books of Kings. 

The 

(f) The first verse of the 25th chapter mentions the death 
of Samuel. 

(g) i Chron. c. 29. v. 29. 

(h) The old Vulgate, of which the copies are now lost, 
was a very antient version of the Bible into Latin, but hy 
whom, or at what period it was made, is not known. The 
Old Testament of this version was translated from the Sep- 
tuagint. It was in general use till the time of Jerome, and 
it was also called the Italic Version. Jerome translated the 
Old Testament immediately from the Hebrew into Latin, 
and this translation was gradually received in the Western 
Church, in preference to the old Vulgate or Italic. The pre- 
sent Vulgate, which is declared authentic by the Council of 

Trent, 



chap, ti.] of the Old Testament. 6l 

The second book of Samuel continues the his- 
tory of David, after the death of Saul, through a 
space of 40 years. It was probably written, as was 
just now observed, by Gad and Nathan, but it is 
impossible to assign to them their respective parts. 
The first book of Kings commences with an 
account of the death of David, and contains a 
period of 126 years, to the death of Jehosaphat; 
and the second book of Kings continues the his- 
tory of the kings of Israel and Judah through a 
period of 300 years, to the destruction of the city 
and temple of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. 
These two books formed only one in the Hebrew 
canon, and they were probably compiled by Ezra 
from the records which were regularly kept, both 
in Jerusalem and Samaria, of all public trans- 
actions. These records appear to have been made 
by the contemporary prophets, and frequently 
derived their names from the kings whose history 
they contained. They are mentioned in many parts 
of Scripture ; thus in the first book of Kings (i) we 
read of the Book of the Acts of Solomon, which 
is supposed to have been written by Nathan, 
Ahijah, and Iddo (k). We elsewhere read that 
Shemaiah the prophet, and Iddo the seer, wrote 

the 
Trent, is the antient Italic Version, revised and improved by 
the corrections of Jerome and others. This is the only trans- 
lation of the Bible allowed by the church of Rome ; and it is 
used by that church upon all occasions, except that in the 
Missal and Psalms a few passages of the antient Vulgate are 
retained, as are the apocryphal books, which Jerome did not 
translate. There are two principal editions of the present 
Vulgate, one published by Pope Sixtus the fifth, the other 
by Clement the eighth, which differ considerably from each 
other, though both are declared authentic from the papal 
chair. Vide Kennicott's State of the present Hebrew Text, 
v. 2. p. 198. Some of the antient Italic Version has been 
recovered from citations in the writings of the Fathers, and 
is published, with supplementary additions, in Walton's 
Polyglott. Grays Key. 

(i) C. 1 1 ." v. 41 . (k) 2 Chron. c. 9. v. 29. 



62 Contents of the several Books [parti, 

the acts of Rehoboam (I), that Jehu wrote the 
acts of Jehosaphat (m), and Isaiah those of Uzziah 
and Hezekiah (n). We may therefore conclude, 
that from these public records, and other authentic 
documents, were composed the two books of 
Kings ; and the uniformity of their style favours 
the opinion of their being put into their present 
shape by the same person. 

The two books of Chronicles formed but one 
in the Hebrew canon, which was called the book 
of Diaries or Journals. In the Septuagint Version 
they were called the books " of things omitted;" 
and they were first named the books of Chronicles 
by Jerome. They were compiled, and probably by 
Ezra, from the antient chronicles of the kings of 
Judah and Israel just now mentioned, and they 
may be considered as a kind of supplement to the 
preceding books of Scripture. The former part 
of the first book of Chronicles contains a great 
variety of genealogical tables, beginning with 
Adam ; and in particular it gives a circumstantial 
account of the twelve tribes, which must have been 
very valuable to the Jews after their return from 
captivity (o). The descendants of Abraham, Isaac, 
Jacob, and David, from all of whom it was pre- 
dicted that the Saviour of the world should be 
born, are here marked with precision. These gene- 
alogies occupy the first nine chapters, and in the 
tenth is recorded the death of Saul. From the 
eleventh chapter to the end of the book, we have 
a history of the reign of David, with a detailed 

statement 

(I) 2 Chron. c. 12. v. 15. 

(m) 2 Chron. c. 20. v. 34. 

(n) 2 Chron. c. 26. v. 22. c. 32. v. 32. 

(0) The care with which the genealogies of the twelve tribes 
were preserved, is particularly mentioned by Josephus (contr. 
.Apion. book l.) It seems to have been necessary to the pre- 
servation of their civil rights, and their religious polity, as 
-well as to prove the fulfilment of the promise respecting the 
Messiah. 



chap, ii.] of the Old Testament. 63 

statement of his preparation for the building of the 
temple, of his regulations respecting the priests 
and Levites, and his appointment of musicians, for 
the public service of religion. The second book 
of Chronicles contains a brief sketch of the Jewish 
history, from the accession of Solomon to the re- 
turn from the Babylonian captivity, being a period 
of 480 years ; and in both these books we find 
many particulars, not noticed in the other histo- 
rical books of Scripture. 

Ezra, the author of the book which bears his 
name, was of the sacerdotal family, being a direct 
descendant from Aaron, and succeeded Zerubba- 
bel in the government of Judea. This book begins 
with the repetition of the last two verses of the 
second book of Chronicles, and carries the Jewish 
history through a period of 79 years, commencing 
from the edict of Cyrus. The first six chapters 
contain an account of the return of the Jews under 
Zerubbabel after the captivity of 70 years; of 
their re-establishment in Judea ; and of the build- 
ing and dedication of the temple at Jerusalem. In 
the last four chapters, Ezra relates his own appoint- 
ment to the government of Judea by Artaxerxes 
Longimanus; his journey thither from Babylon; 
the disobedience of the Jews ; and the reform 
which he immediately effected among them. It is 
to be observed, that between the dedication of the 
temple and the departure of Ezra, that is, between 
the 6th and 7th chapters of this book, there was 
an interval of about 58 years, during which no- 
thing is here related concerning the Jews, except 
that, contrary to God's command, they inter- 
married with Gentiles. This book is written in 
Chaldee from the 8th verse of the 4th chapter to 
the 27th verse of the 7th chapter. It is probable 
that the sacred historian used the Chaldaic lan- 
guage in this part of his work, because it contains 
chiefly letters and decrees written in that language, 

the 



64 Contents of the several Books [part t, 

the original words of which he might think it 
right to record; and indeed the people, who were 
recently returned from the Babylonian captivity, 
were at least as familiar with the Chaldee as they 
were with the Hebrew tongue. 

Nehemiah (p) professes himself the author of the 
book which bears his name, in the very beginning 
of it, and he uniformly writes in the first person. 
He was of the tribe of Judah, and was probably 
born at Babylon during the captivity. He was so 
distinguished for his family and attainments, as to 
be selected for the office of cup-bearer to the king 
of Persia, a situation of great honour and emolu- 
ment. He was made governor of Judea, upon his 
own application, by Artaxerxes Longimanus ; and 
this book, which in the Hebrew canon was joined 
to that of Ezra, gives an account of his appoint- 
ment and administration, through a space of about 
36 years to a.m. 3595, at which time the Scripture 
history closes : and consequently these historical 
books, from Joshua to Nehemiah inclusive, contain 
the history of the Jewish people from the death of 
Moses, a.m. 2553, to the reformation established 
by Nehemiah, after the return from captivity, being 
a period of 1 042 years. 

The book of Esther is so called, because it con- 
tains the history of Esther, a Jewish captive, who 
by her remarkable accomplishments gained the 
affection of king Ahasuerus, and by marriage with 
him was raised to the throne of Persia ; and it re- 
lates the origin and ceremonies of the feast of 
Purim, instituted in commemoration of the great 
deliverance, which she, by her interest, procured 
for the Jews, whose general destruction had been 
concerted by the offended pride of Haman. There 
is great diversity of opinion concerning the author 

of 

(p) Nehemiah, who wrote this book, was not the Ne- 
hemiah who returned from the Babylonian captivity with 
Zerubbabel. 



t' HA p. ii.] of the Old Testament. 6$ 

of this book; it has been ascribed to Ezra, to 
Mordecai, to Joachim, and to the joint labours of 
the great synagogue ; and it is impossible to decide 
which of these opinions is the most probable. We 
are told, that the facts here recorded happened in 
the reign of Ahasuerus king of Persia, " who reign- 
ed from India even unto Ethiopia, over 127 pro- 
vinces (q) ;" and this extent of dominion plainly 
proves that he was one of the successors of Cyrus. 
That point is indeed allowed by all ; but learned 
men differ concerning the person meant by Aha- 
suerus, whose name does not occur in profane^ 
history; and consequently they are not agreed 
concerning the precise period to which we are to 
assign this history. Archbishop Usher (r) sup- 
posed, that by Ahasuerus was meant Darius 
Hystaspes, and Joseph Scaliger (s) contended that 
Xerxes was meant; but in my judgment Dean 
Prideaux has very satisfactorily shewn, that by 
Ahasuerus we are to understand Artaxerxes Longi- 
manus (t). Joseph us (a) also considered Aha- 
suerus and Artaxerxes as the same person ; and 
we may observe, that Ahasuerus is always trans- 
lated Artaxerxes in the Septuagint version ; and he 
is called by that name in the apocryphal part of 
the book of Esther, Upon these authorities I 
place the commencement of this history about 
a. m. 3544, and it continues through a space not 
exceeding twenty years. 

The book of Job contains the history of Job, a 
man equally distinguished for purity and upright- 
ness of character, and for honours, wealth, and 
domestic felicity; whom God permitted, for the 
trial of his faith, to be suddenly deprived of all his 
numerous blessings, and to be at once plunged 

into 

(q) C. l.V.l. 

(r) Ann. Vet. Test, sub ann. Jul. Per. 4193. 

(s) De Emend. Temp. lib. 6. 

(t) Part 1st, book 5th. (u) Ant. lib. 11. cap. 6, 



66 Contents of the several Books [part i. 

into the deepest affliction, and most accumulated 
distress. It gives an account of his eminent piety, 
patience, and resignation, under the pressure of 
these severe calamities, and of his subsequent 
elevation to a degree of prosperity and happiness, 
still greater than that which he had before enjoy- 
ed. How long the sufferings of Job continued we 
are not informed ; but it is said, that after God 
turned his captivity ( v), and blessed him a second 
time, he lived 140 years (w). Of the great variety 
of opinions which have been entertained concern- 
ing the nature and author of this book, I shall 
briefly state those which appear to be the best 
founded. That Job was a real, and not a fictitious 
character, may be inferred from the manner in 
which he is mentioned by Ezekiel and by St. 
James : " Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, 
and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their 
own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord 
God (x)" As Noah and Daniel were unquestion- 
ably real characters, we must conclude the same 
of Job. " Behold," says St. James, "we count them 
happy which endure : ye have heard of the patience 
of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord ; that 
the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy (y)" 
It is scarcely to be believed, that the Apostle would 
refer to an imaginary character as an example of 
patience, or in proof of the mercy of God. Since 
then the history of Job, as here recorded, is mani- 
festly alluded to in both the above passages, we 
may, upon these authorities, as well as upon the 
ground of internal evidence, and the concurrent 
testimony of all eastern tradition, consider this 

book 

(v) This phrase of turning the captivity of Job, is understood 
by many commentators, as implying the restitution which God 
enabled Job to procure from the Sabeans and Chaldeans who 
bad plundered liira of his riches. 

(w) Job, c. 42. v. 16. (x) Ezek. c. 14. v. 14. 

(y) James, c. 5. v. 11. 



chap, li.] of ilie Old Testament, \ 67 

book as containing a relation of actual events, a 
circumstantial detail of occurrences and discourses 
which really took place. Job was an inhabitant of 
Uz (z), which is supposed to have been situated in 
Arabia Deserta, on the south of the Euphrates ; 
and was probably descended from Uz, the eldest 
son of Nahor, Abraham's brother, from whom the 
country took its name. Elihu, in reckoning up 
the modes of divine revelation, takes no notice of 
the delivery of the Mosaic law ; nor does there 
seem to be any allusion to the Jewish history in any 
part of this book ; hence we may infer that Job was 
prior to Moses, or at least contemporary with him ; 
and this inference is supported by the great age to 
which he lived. Job and his friends worshipped 
the one true God in sincerity and truth ; and their 
religious knowledge was in general such as might 
have been derived from the early patriarchs. But 
the positive declaration in the 19th chapter, con- 
cerning a Redeemer and a future judgment, is by 
most commentators allowed to be the effect of im- 
mediate Revelation from God. I am inclined to 
believe that this book, which bears every mark of 
remote antiquity, and of an original work, was 
written by Job himself, in Hebrew; and even 
many of those who think otherwise, admit that 
it might be compiled from materials left by 
him (a). They generally ascribe the composition 
to Moses ; but there is so great difference between 
the style of the book of Job and that of the Pen- 
tateuch, that I must own this appears to me a very 
improbable opinion. There is the same objection 
to the ascribing of this book to any other writer of 
the Old Testament ; and the objection becomes 
stronger, the lower we descend from the time of 

Moses. 

(z) Job, c. 1. v. 1. Lam. c. 4. v. 21. 

(a) Bishop Lowth considers the exordium and conclusion as 
different from the body of the work ; but he maintains that the 
whole of the book was written by the same person. 



68 Contents of the several Books [pAfcT t t 

Moses. Its style is in many parts peculiarly sub- 
lime ; and it is not only adorned with poetical em- 
bellishments, but most learned men consider it as 
written in metre. " Through the whole work we 
discover religious instruction shining forth amidst 
the venerable simplicity of antient manners. It, 
every where abounds with the noblest sentiments 
of piety, uttered with the spirit of inspired con- 
viction. It is a work unrivalled for the magnifi- 
cence of its language, and for the beautiful and 
sublime images which it presents. In the wonder- 
ful speech of the Deity (b), every line delineates 
his attributes, every sentence opens a picture of 
some grand object in creation, characterized by its 
most striking features. Add to this, that its pro- 
phetic parts reflect much light on the economy of 
God's moral government; and every admirer of 
sacred antiquity, every inquirer after religious in- 
struction, will seriously rejoice that the enraptured 
sentence (c) of Job is realized to a more effectual 
and unforeseen accomplishment; that while the 
memorable records of antiquity have mouldered 
from the rock, the prophetic assurance and senti- 
ments of Job are graven in Scriptures that no time 
shall alter, no changes shall efface (d)" 

The book of Psalms is a collection of hymns or 
sacred songs in praise of God ( e), and consists of 
poems of various kinds. They are the productions 
of different persons, but are generally called the 
Psalms of David, because a great part of them was 
composed by him, and David himself is distinguish- 
ed by the name of the Psalmist. We cannot now 

ascertain 

(b) Ch. 38 and 39. 

(c) Ch. 19. v. 23. (d) Gray. 

(e) u It is remarkable, that this book of Psalms is exactly 
the kind of work which Plato wished to see for the in- 
struction of youth, but conceived it impossible to be exe- 
cuted, as above the power of human abilities ; Tsto is ®m h 
Sua tjvo* lv tin ; ' but this must be the work of God, or of some 
divine person/ "—Gray. 



chap, ii.] of the Old Testament. 69 

ascertain ail the Psalms written by David, but their 
number probably exceeds seventy : and much less 
are we able to discover the authors of the other 
Psalms, or the occasions upon which they were 
composed ; a few of them were written after the 
return from the Babylonian captivity. The titles 
prefixed to them are of very questionable autho- 
rity ; and in many cases they are not intended to 
denote the writer, but refer only to the person who 
was appointed to set them to music. David first 
introduced the practice of singing sacred hymns in 
the public service of God ; and it was restored by 
Ezra, who is supposed to have selected these psalms 
from a much greater number, and to have placed 
them in their present order. It is to be presumed, 
that those which he rejected were either not in- 
spired, or not calculated for general use. " The 
authority of those, however, which we now possess, 
is established not only by their rank among the 
sacred writings, and by the unvaried testimony of 
every age, but likewise by many intrinsic proofs of 
Inspiration. Not only do they breathe through 
every part a divine spirit of eloquence, but they 
contain numberless illustrious prophecies that were 
remarkably accomplished, and that are frequently 
appealed to by the evangelical writers. The sacred 
character of the whole book is established by the 
testimony of our Saviour and his apostles, who, in 
various parts of the New Testament, appropriate 
the predictions of the Psalms as obviously apposite 
to the circumstances of their lives, and as inten- 
tionally preconcerted to describe them/' — " The 
veneration for the Psalms has in all ages of the 
church been considerable. The fathers assure us, 
that in the earlier times the whole book of Psalms 
was generally learnt by heart ; and that the mini- 
sters of every gradation were expected to be able 
to repeat them from memory." — " These invaluable 
Scriptures are daily repeated without weariness, 

though 



70 Contents of the several Books [part i. 

though their beauties are often overlooked in fami- 
liar and habitual perusal. As hymns immediately- 
addressed to the Deity, they reduce righteousness 
to practice ; and while we acquire the sentiments, we 
perform the offices of piety ; as while we supplicate 
for blessings, we celebrate the memorial of former 
mercies ; and while in the exercise of devotion, 
faith is enlivened by the display of prophecy." — 
" Josephus asserts, and most of the antient writers 
maintain, that the Psalms were composed in metre. 
They have undoubtedly a peculiar conformation 
of sentences, and a measured distribution of parts. 
Many of them are elegiac, and most of David's 
are of the lyric kind. There is no sufficient reason, 
however, to believe, as some writers have ima- 
gined, that they were written in rhyme, or in any 
of the Grecian measures. Some of them are acro- 
stic; and though the regulations of the Hebrew 
measure are now lost, there can be no doubt, from 
their harmonious modulation, that they were writ- 
ten with some kind of metrical order ; and they 
must have been composed in accommodation to the 
measure to which they were set. The Masoretic 
writers have marked them in a manner different 
from the other sacred writings. The Hebrew 
copies and the Septuagint version of this book, 
contain the same number of Psalms; only the 
Septuagint translators have, for some reason which 
does not appear, thrown the ninth and tenth into 
one, as also the 1 14th and 1 15th ; and have divided 
the 116th and 147th each into two (f)" 

" The Proverbs, as we are informed at the be- 
ginning and in other parts of the book, were writ- 
ten by Solomon, the son of David, a man, as the 
sacred writings assure us, peculiarly endued with 
divine wisdom. Whatever ideas of his superior 
understanding we may be led to form by the parti- 
culars 
(JjGray. 



chap, ii.] of tlw Old Testament. 71 

culars recorded of his judgment and attainments, 
we shall find them amply justified, on perusing the 
works which remain in testimony of his abilities, 
This enlightened monarch, being desirous of em- 
ploying the wisdom which he had received to the 
advantage of mankind, produced several works for 
their instruction : of these, however, three only 
were admitted into the canon of the sacred writ 
by Ezra, the others being either not designed for 
religious instruction, or so mutilated by time and 
accident, as to have been judged imperfect. The 
book of Proverbs, that of Ecclesiastes, and that of 
the Song of Solomon, are all that remain of him, 
who is related to ' have spoken 3000 proverbs, 
whose songs were 1005, and who spake of trees, 
from the cedar that is in Lebanon even to the 
hyssop that springeth out of the wall ; who spake 
also of beasts, and of fowls, and of creeping things, 
and of fishes.' If, however, many valuable writ- 
ings of Solomon have perished, we have reason to 
be grateful for what still remains. Of his proverbs 
and songs the most excellent have been providen- 
tially preserved ; and as we possess his doctrinal 
and moral works, we have no right to murmur at 
the loss of his physical and philosophical produc- 
tions (g)" The book of Proverbs may be con- 
sidered as divided into five parts ; the first part 
consists of the first nine chapters, which are a kind 
of preface, and contain general cautions and ex- 
hortations from a teacher to his pupil. The second 
part extends from the beginning of the 1 oth chap- 
ter, to the 17th verse of the 2 2d chapter, and con- 
tains what may strictly and properly be called Pro- 
verbs, given in short unconnected sentences, and 
adapted to the instruction of youth. In the third 
part, which reaches from the 17th verse of the 22d 
chapter to the end of the 24th chapter, the pupil 

is 

fgJ Gra y- 



^2 Contents of the several Boolcs [part i. 

is addressed in the second person as being present: 
and the precepts are delivered in a less sententious 
and more connected style. The fourth part ex- 
tends from the beginning of the 25th to the end 
of the 29th chapter, and consists of " Proverbs of 
Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah, king of 
Judah, copied out," that is, selected from a much 
greater number. Who these " men of Hezekiah " 
were, we are not told; but they were probably 
" the prophets whom he employed to restore the 
service and writings of the church, as Eliakim, 
and Joab, and Shebnah, and probably Hosea, 
Micah, and even Isaiah, who all flourished in the 
reign of that monarch, and doubtless co-operated 
with his endeavours to re-establish true religion 
among the Jews. These proverbs, indeed, appear 
to have been selected by some collectors after the 
time of Solomon, as they repeat some which he 
had previously introduced in the former part of the 
book (k)" The fifth part consists of the 30th and 
31st chapters, the former of which contains " the 
words of Agur the son of Jakeh," and the latter 
" the words of king Lemuel, that his mother 
taught him ;" but we are not informed either here, 
or in any other part of Scripture, when or where 
Agur or Lemuel lived. Indeed many of the antient 
fathers considered these chapters also as the work 
of Solomon, and were of opinion, that he intended 
to describe himself under the names of Agur and 
Lemuel ; but this is a point which must be left in 
uncertainty. There are in this book many beauti- 
ful descriptions and personifications ; the diction 
is highly polished; and there is a concise and 
energetic turn of expression, which is peculiar to 
this species of writing. 

The book of Ecclesiastes is called " The Words 
of the Preacher, the son of David king of Jerusa- 
lem," 

(h) Gray. 



jchap. li.] of the Old Testament. 73 

that is, of Solomon, who from the great excel- 
lency of his instructions, was emphatically styled 
the Preacher. The author also describes his wis- 
dom, his riches, his writings, and his works, in a 
manner applicable only to Solomon ; and to this 
internal evidence we may add the concurrent tes- 
timony both of Christian and Jewish tradition. It 
is generally thought that Solomon wrote this book, 
after he repented of the idolatry and sin, into which 
he fell towards the end of his life. Though of the 
didactic kind, it differs from the preceding book, 
inasmuch as it seems to be confined to a single 
subject, namely, an inquiry into the chief good. 
Solomon here introduces himself as discussing 
this important question ; and by a just and com- 
prehensive consideration of the circumstances of 
human life, he points out the vanity of all secular 
pursuits, in a manner not to excite a peevish dis- 
gust at this world, but to induce us to prepare for 
that state in which there will be no "vanity or 
vexation of spirit/' It is very difficult to distin- 
guish the arrangement and connection of the parts 
of this work; and there is so little of elevation 
or dignity in its language, that the Rabbis will not 
allow it to be reckoned among the poetical books 
of Scripture. 

The book called the Song of Solomon has the 
same title in the Hebrew canon, and we may with- 
out hesitation ascribe it to Solomon. It is indeed 
very generally allowed to have been the epithala- 
mimn or marriage song composed by that monarch 
upon his marriage with the daughter of Pharaoh ; 
but at the same time most commentators consider 
it as a mystical allegory, and are of opinion that, 
under the figure of a marriage, is typified the in- 
timate connection between Christ and his Church. 
It is composed in dialogue, and with metrical 
arrangement, and may without impropriety be 
called a dramatic poem, of the pastoral kind. The 
E characters 



i 



74 Contents of the several Books [parti, 

characters are, Solomon and his bride, and virgins, 
her companions : young men also, attendants upon 
the bridegroom, are mentioned as being present ; 
but they bear no part in the dialogue. 

It is universally acknowledged that the remain- 
ing books of the Old Testament, namely, the six- 
teen prophetical books and the Lamentations of 
Jeremiah, were written by the persons whose 
names they bear. The prophets profess themselves 
to be the respective authors of these books ; and 
this internal testimony is confirmed both by Jewish 
and Christian tradition : and therefore, in speaking 
of them, I shall consider their genuineness as a 
point established and allowed. 

Isaiah was of the tribe of Judah, and it is sup- 
posed that he was descended from a branch of the 
royal family. He was the earliest of the four great 
prophets, and entered upon his prophetic office in 
the last year of Uzziah's reign, about 758 years 
before Christ. It is uncertain how long he con- 
tinued to prophesy; some have thought that he 
died in the 1 5th or 1 6th year of Hezekiah's reign, 
and in that case he prophesied about forty-five 
years ; but it appears more probable that he was 
put to death by command of Manasseh, in the 
first year of his reign, and in that case he prophe- 
sied more than 61 years (i). Isaiah is uniformly 
spoken of in Scripture as a prophet of the highest 
dignity ; Bishop Lowth calls him the prince of all 
the prophets, and pronounces the whole of his 
w r ork, except a few detached passages, to be poe- 
tical (k). His style is universally allowed to be 

remarkable 

(i) It is said that he was sawn asunder with a wooden 
saw ; that mode of his death is supposed to be alluded to, 
Heb. c. 11. v. 37. 

( k) The prophecies of Isaiah were modulated to a kind of 
rhythm, and they are evidently divided into certain metrical 
stanzas or lines. — Gray, 



€HAP. II.] of the Old Testament. 75 

remarkable for its elegance, force, and sublimity ; 
and he gives so copious and circumstantial an 
account of the promised Messiah and his kingdom, 
that he has been emphatically called the Evange- 
lical Prophet. This book, however, is not confined 
to prophecies relative to our Saviour ; it contains 
many other predictions, and likewise several histo- 
rical relations. It may be considered under six 
general divisions ; the first division consists of the 
first five chapters, containing a general description 
of the state and condition of the Jews in the 
several periods of their history ; the promulgation 
and success of the Gospel, and the coming of 
Christ to judgment. The second division consists 
of the next seven chapters, containing the pro- 
mise to Ahaz, which was predictive of Christ, 
whose nature, birth, and kingdom, are distinctly 
described in the 9th chapter: the denunciations 
of punishment upon the Assyrians, in the 10th 
chapter, seem an interruption to this glorious sub- 
ject, which is resumed in the 11th, where the 
prophet breaks out into a hymn of praise, cele- 
brating the future triumphant state of the church. 
The third division, which reaches from the 13th 
to the 27th chapter inclusive, begins with a very 
remarkable prophecy of the destruction of Baby- 
lon, which is considered as a type of Antichrist ; 
it then describes the fate of the Jews, Assyrians, 
Moabites, Philistines, Arabians, Syrians, and 
Egyptians, and concludes in a manner similar to 
the last. The fourth division, which extends from 
the 28th to the 35th chapter inclusive, contains 
predictions relative to the then approaching in- 
vasion of Sennacherib ; but it is interspersed with 
severe reproofs and threats against the Jews for 
disobedience and wilful blindness, and also with 
consolatory promises to those who should remain 
e 2 faithful 



'6 Contents of the several Books [part i. 

faithful in the service of God, alluding frequently 
to the times of the Gospel. The 36th, and two 
following chapters, which constitute the fifth 
division, give an historical account of the invasion 
of Sennacherib, and of the prolongation of Heze- 
kiah's life. The sixth division reaches from the 
39th chapter to the end of the book : here the pro- 
phet generally addresses his ^countrymen as being 
actually in the captivity which he had previously 
foretold ; he predicts the total destruction of the 
empire of Babylon, and the restoration of the 
Jews to their own land, by their great deliverer 
Cyrus, whom he represents the Almighty as calling 
upon by name to execute his will, above 1 00 years 
before his birth. In this latter part of the book 
are principally contained the numerous prophe- 
cies, already noticed, concerning the birth, mini- 
stry, death, and religion of Christ, together with a 
variety of circumstances which were to precede 
and follow his incarnation. " These prophecies 
seem almost to anticipate the gospel history, so 
clearly do they foreshew the divine character of 
Christ ; his miracles ; his peculiar qualities and 
virtues ; his rejection and sufferings for our sins ; 
his death, burial, and victory over death; and 
lastly, his final glory, and the establishment, in- 
crease and perfection of his kingdom, each speci- 
fically pointed out and pourtrayed with the most 
striking and discriminating characters (l)" With 
these predictions are mixed earnest exhortations 
to faith and obedience, and positive denunciations 
of God's wrath against the impenitently wicked; 
the most comfortable assurances of the constant 
providence of God, and the fulfilment of all his 
gracious promises, and descriptions of the glorious 
state of the Church, when it shall be enlarged by 
the conversion of the Jews, and the fulness of the 

Gentiles, 
(I) Gray. 



chap.il] of the Old Testament. 77 

Gentiles, in terms inimitably suited to the variety 
and loftiness of the subjects. 

Jeremiah was of the sacerdotal family, and a 
native of Anathoth, a village about three miles 
distant from Jerusalem. He was called to the pro- 
phetic office in the 13th year of Josiah's reign, 
B. C. 628, and continued to exercise it above 41 
years. He was suffered to remain in Judaea, when 
his countrymen were carried away captive by 
Nebuchadnezzar, and he afterwards retired into 
Egypt with Johanan the son of Kareah. Some 
accounts state that he returned into his own coun- 
try and died there ; but Jerome says, which seems 
more probable, that he was stoned to death at 
Talpesha, a royal city of Egypt, about 586 years 
before Christ. Though his prophecies are not 
supposed to be in all cases arranged according to 
the order in which they were delivered, we find 
him not unfrequently, in the latter part of the book, 
appealing to prophecies contained in the former 
chapters, which had been since fulfilled. The 
most remarkable predictions are, the Babylonian 
captivity, with the precise time of its duration, 
and the return of the Jews; the fate of Zedekiah ; 
the destruction of Babylon most accurately de- 
scribed, in terms which are usually considered as 
applicable likewise to the mystical Babylon or 
Antichrist ; the downfal of many other nations ; 
the miraculous conception of Christ ; the efficacy 
of his atonement ; the spiritual nature of his reli- 
gion, and the general conversion, and restoration 
of God's antient people. Jeremiah also bewails in 
most pathetic terms the obstinate wickedness of 
the Jews, and describes in plain and impressive 
language, the calamities which impended over 
them. He sometimes breaks out into the most 
feeling and bitter complaints of the treatment 
which he received from his countrymen, whose 
resentment he provoked by the severity of his 
e 3 reproofs. 



I- 



78 Cotitents of the several Books [part p. 

reproofs. The style of Jeremiah, though deficient 
neither in sublimity nor elegance, is considered as 
inferior in both respects to that of Isaiah. Jerome 
objects to him a certain rusticity of language, 
"' cujus equideni," says Bishop Lowth, " fateor 
nulla me deprehendisse vestigia (m)." The writings 
of Jeremiah are principally characterized by pre- 
cision in his descriptions, and by a pathos calcu- 
lated to awaken and interest the milder affections, 
but not admitting of that loftiness of sentiment 
and dignity of expression, which we meet with in 
several of the prophets. At the same time, many 
of his invectives against the ingratitude and wick- 
edness of his countrymen are delivered in an ener- 
getic strain of eloquence, and in his predictions 
he frequently rises to a very high degree of sub- 
limity. His historical relations are written with 
great simplicity, and the events, of which he was 
himself witness, are described with animation and 
force. About one half of the book, chiefly in the 
beginning and at the end, is written in metre. The 
,51st chapter concludes in this manner : " Thus far 
are the words of Jeremiah ;" and thence it appears 
that the 52d, being the last chapter, was not writ- 
ten by that prophet. It is supposed to have been 
compiled by Ezra, principally from the latter part 
of the second book of Kings, and from the 39th 
and 40th chapters of this book, as a proper intro- 
duction to the Lamentations. 

The Lamentations of Jeremiah were formerly 
annexed to his prophecies, though they now form 
a separate book. Josephus, and several other 
learned men, have referred them to the death of 
Josiah; but the more common opinion is, that 
they are applicable only to some period sub- 
sequent to the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebu- 
chadnezzar. But though it be allowed, that the 

Lamentations 

(m) Praelect. 21. 






chap, li.] of the Old Testament. 79 

Lamentations were primarily intended as a pathe- 
tic description of present calamities, yet, while 
Jeremiah mourns the desolation of Judah and 
Jerusalem during the Babylonian captivity, he 
may be considered as prophetically painting the 
still greater miseries they were to suffer at some 
future time ; this seems plainly indicated by his 
referring to the time, when the punishment of 
their iniquity shall be accomplished, and they 
shall no more be carried into captivity (n). The 
Lamentations are written in metre, and consist of 
a number of plaintive effusions, composed after the 
manner of funeral dirges. They seem to have been 
originally written by their author as they arose in 
his mind, and to have been afterwards joined to- 
gether as one poem. There is no regular arrange- 
ment of the subject or disposition of the parts ; 
the same thought is frequently repeated with dif- 
ferent imagery, or expressed in different words. 
There is, however, no wild incoherency, or abrupt 
transition; the whole appears to have been dictated 
by the feelings of real grief. Tenderness and 
sorrow form the general character of these elegies ; 
and an attentive reader will find great beauty in 
many of the images, and considerable energy in 
some of the expressions. This book of Lamenta- 
tions is divided into five chapters; in the first, 
second, and fourth, the prophet speaks in his own 
person, or hj an elegant and interesting personifi- 
cation introduces the city of Jerusalem as lament- 
ing her calamities, and confessing her sins ; in the 
third chapter a single Jew, speaking in the name 
of a chorus of his countrymen, like the Coryphaeus 
of the Greeks, describes the punishment inflicted 
upon him by God, but still acknowledges his mer- 
cy, and expresses some hope of deliverance ; and 
in the fifth chapter, the whole nation of the Jews 

pour 
( n) Ch. 4. v. 22. 

M 



8o Contents of the several Books [part J* 

pour forth their united complaints and supplica- 
tions to Almighty God. 

Ezekiel, like his contemporary Jeremiah, was of 
the sacerdotal race. He was carried away captive 
to Babylon with Jehoiachim king of Judah, 598 
years before Christ, and was placed with many 
other of his countrymen upon the river Chebar 
in Mesopotamia, where he was favoured with the 
divine revelations contained in this book. He 
began to prophesy in the fifth year of his cap- 
tivity, and is supposed to have prophesied about 
twenty-one years. The boldness with which he 
censured the idolatry and wickedness of his coun- 
trymen is said to have cost him his life ; but his 
memory was greatly revered, not only by the Jews, 
but also by the Medes and Persians. This book 
may be considered under the five following divi- 
sions : the first three chapters contain the glorious 
appearance of God to the prophet, and his solemn 
appointment to his office, with instructions and 
encouragements for the discharge of it. From 
the 4th to the 24th chapter inclusive, he describes, 
under a variety of visions and similitudes, the ca- 
lamities impending over Judeea, and the total 
destruction of the temple and city of Jerusalem by 
Nebuchadnezzar, occasionally predicting another 
period of yet greater desolation, and more general 
dispersion. From the beginning of the 2.5th to 
the end of the 32 d chapter, the prophet foretels 
the conquest and ruin of many nations and cities, 
which had insulted the Jews in their affliction ; 
of the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Edomites, 
and Philistines ; of Tyre and Sidon, and Egypt ; all 
of which were to be punished by the same mighty 
instrument of God's wrath' against the wickedness 
of man ; and in these prophecies he not only pre- 
dicts events which were soon to take place, but he 
also describes the condition of these several coun- 
tries. 



chap, ii.] of the Old Testament, 81 

tries in the remote periods of the world. From 
ihe 32 d to the 40th chapter he inveighs against 
the accumulated sins of the Jews collectively, and 
the murmuring spirit of his captive brethren ; ex- 
horts them earnestly to repent of their hypocrisy 
and wickedness, upon the assurance that God will 
accept sincere repentance; and comforts them 
with promises of approaching deliverance under 
Cyrus; subjoining clear intimations of some far 
more glorious, but distant, redemption under the 
Messiah, though the manner in which it is to be 
effected is deeply involved in mystery. The last 
nine chapters contain a remarkable vision of the 
structure of a new temple and a new polity, ap- 
plicable in the first instance to the return from the 
Babylonian captivity, but in its ultimate sense re- 
ferring to the glory and prosperity of the universal 
Church of Christ. Jerome observes, that the vi- 
sions of Ezekiel are among the things in Scripture 
hard to be understood. This obscurity arises, in 
part at least, from the nature and design of the 
prophecies themselves : they were delivered amidst 
the gloom of captivity ; and though calculated to 
cheer the drooping spirit of the Jews, and to keep 
alive a watchful and submissive confidence in the 
mercy of God, yet they were intended to com- 
municate only such a degree of encouragement, 
as was consistent with a state of punishment, and 
to excite an indistinct expectation of future bless- 
ings, upon the condition of repentance and 
amendment : and it ought to be observed, that the 
last twelve chapters of this book bear a very strik- 
ing resemblance to the concluding chapters of the 
Revelation. " The style of this prophet is cha- 
racterized by Bishop Lowth, as bold, vehement, 
and tragical ; as often worked up to a kind of tre- 
mendous dignity. This book is highly parabolical, 
and abounds with figures and metaphorical ex- 
e 5 pressions 



82 Contents of the several Books [paut i. 

pressions. Ezekiel may be compared to the Gre- 
cian iEschylus ; he displays a rough but majestic 
dignity ; an unpolished, though noble simplicity 5 
inferior perhaps in originality and elegance to 
others of the prophets, but unequalled in that 
force and grandeur for which he is particularly 
celebrated. He sometimes emphatically and in- 
dignantly repeats his sentiments, fully dilates his 
pictures, and describes the adulterous manners 
of his countrymen under the strongest and most 
exaggerated representations, that the license of 
the eastern style would admit. The middle part 
of the book is in some measure poetical, and 
contains even some perfect elegies, though his 
thoughts are in general too irregular and uncon- 
trolled to be chained down to rule, or fettered by 
language (0)" 

Daniel was a descendant of the kings of Judah, 
and is said to have been born at Upper Bethoron, 
in the territory of Ephraim. He was carried away 
captive to Babylon, when he was about eighteen 
or twenty years of age, in the year 606 before the 
Christian sera. He was placed in the court of 
Nebuchadnezzar, and was afterwards raised to 
situations of great rank and power, both in the 
empire of Babylon and of Persia. He lived to 
the end of the captivity, but being then nearly 
ninety years old, it is most probable that he did 
not return to Judaea. It is generally believed that 
he died at Susa, soon after his last vision, which 
is dated in the third year of the reign of Cyrus. 
Daniel seems to have been the only prophet who 
enjoyed a great share of worldly prosperity ; but 
amidst the corruptions of a licentious court, he 
preserved his virtue and integrity inviolate, and 
no danger or temptation could divert him from 
the worship of the true God. The book of Daniel 
is a mixture of history and prophecy : in the first 

six 
(0) Gray. 



chap, ii .] of the Old Testament. 83 

six chapters is recorded a variety of events, which 
occurred in the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar, Bel- 
shazzar, and Darius, and, in particular, the second 
chapter contains Nebuchadnezzar's prophetic 
dream concerning the four great successive mo- 
narchies, and the everlasting kingdom of the 
Messiah, which God enabled Daniel to interpret. 
In the last six chapters we have a series of pro- 
phecies, revealed at different times, extending 
from the days of Daniel to the general resur- 
rection. The Assyrian, the Persian, the Grecian, 
and the Roman Empires, are all particularly de- 
scribed under appropriate characters ; and it 
is expressly declared, that the last of them was 
to be divided into ten kingdoms; the time at 
which Christ was to appear is precisely fixed ; the 
rise and fall of Antichrist, and the duration of his 
power, are exactly determined; and the future 
restoration of the Jews, the victory of Christ over 
all his enemies, and the universal prevalence of 
true religion, are distinctly foretold, as being to 
precede the consummation of that stupendous plan 
of God, which " was laid before the foundations 
of the world," and reaches to its dissolution. 
Part of this book is written in the Chaldaic lan- 
guage, namely, from the 4th verse of the 2d chap- 
ter to the end of the 7th chapter : these chapters 
relate chiefly to the affairs of Babylon, and it is 
probable that some passages were taken from the 
public registers. This book abounds with the most 
exalted sentiments of piety and devout gratitude ; 
its style is clear, simple, and concise ; and many of 
its prophecies are delivered in terms so plain and 
circumstantial, that some unbelievers (p) have as- 
serted, in opposition to the strongest testimony, 

that 

(p) Porphyry in particular asserted this with respect to the 
prophecies which relate to the Grecian, Syrian, and Egyptian 
history. 

e6 



84 Contents of the several Books [part 1, 

that they were written after the events, which they 
describe, had taken place. 

Hosea is generally considered as a native and 
inhabitant of the kingdom of Israel, and is sup- 
posed to have begun to prophesy about 800 years 
before Christ. He exercised his office sixty years, 
but it is not known at what periods his different 
prophecies, now remaining, were delivered. Most 
of them are directed against the people of Israel, 
whom he reproves and threatens for their idolatry 
and wickedness, and exhorts to repentance with 
the greatest earnestness, as the only means of 
averting the evils impending over their country, 
The principal predictions contained in this book 
are the captivity and dispersion of the kingdom 
of Israel ; the deliverance of Judah from Senna- 
cherib ; the present state of the Jews ; their future 
restoration, and union with the Gentiles in the 
kingdom of the Messiah ; the call of our Saviour 
out of Egypt, and his resurrection on the third 
day. The style of Hosea is peculiarly obscure ; it 
is sententious, cxmcise, and abrupt ; the transitions 
of person are sudden ; and the conhexive and ad- 
versative particles are frequently omitted. The 
prophecies are in one continued series, without 
any distinction as to the times when they were 
delivered, or the different subjects to which they 
relate ; nor are they so clear and detailed, as the 
predictions of those prophets who lived in suc- 
ceeding ages ; but when we have surmounted these 
difficulties, we shall see abundant reason to admire 
the force and energy with which this prophet 
writes, and the boldness of the figures and simili- 
tudes which he uses. 

It is impossible to ascertain the age in which 
Joel lived, but it seems most probable that he was 
contemporary with Hosea. No particulars of his 
life or death are certainly known. His prophecies 
are confined to the kingdom of Judah. He in- 
veighs 



chap, li.] of the Old Testament. 85 

veighs against the sins and impieties of the people, 
and threatens them with divine vengeance ; he ex- 
horts to repentance, fasting and prayer, and pro- 
mises the favour of God to those who should be 
obedient. The principal predictions contained in 
this book are, the Chaldsean invasion, under the 
figurative representation of locusts ; the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem by Titus ; the blessings of the 
Gospel dispensation ; the conversion and restora- 
tion of the Jews to their own land ; the overthrow 
of the enemies of God ; and the glorious state of 
the Christian church in the end of the world. 
The style of Joel is perspicuous and elegant, and 
his descriptions are remarkably animated and 
poetical. 

Amos was contemporary with Hosea, and was 
by profession a herdsman. Tradition reports, that 
he was put to death by Uzziah, son of Amaziah, 
whose displeasure he incurred by the freedom with 
which he censured his vices. His prophecies re- 
late chiefly to the kingdom of Israel ; but he some- 
times denounces judgment against the kingdom of 
Judah, and also against the people who bordered 
upon Palestine, the Syrians, Philistines, Tyrians, 
Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites. He fore- 
tels in clear terms the calamities and captivity of 
the ten tribes, and at the same time declares that 
God will not utterly destroy his chosen people, but 
that he will, at some future period, restore them 
to more than their antient splendour and hap- 
piness in the kingdom of the Messiah. " Some 
writers, who have adverted to the condition of 
Amos, have, w 7 ith a minute affectation of criticism, 
pretended to discover a certain rudeness and vul- 
garity in his style ; and even Jerome is of opinion 
that he is deficient in magnificence and sublimity, 
applying to him the words which St. Paul speaks 
of himself, that he was rude in speech, though not 

in 



86 Contents of the several Books [part i. 

in knowledge (q) ; and his authority, says Bishop 
Lowth, has influenced many commentators to re- 
present him as entirely rude, and void of elegance ; 
whereas it requires but little attention to be con- 
vinced that '■ he is not a whit behind the very 
chiefest of the prophets/ equal to the greatest in 
loftiness of sentiment, and scarcely inferior to any 
in the splendour of his diction, and in the elegance 
of his composition. Mr. Locke has observed, that 
his comparisons are chiefly drawn from lions and 
other animals, because he lived among and was 
conversant with such objects. But, indeed, the 
finest images and allusions, which adorn the poeti- 
cal parts of Scripture, in general are drawn from 
scenes of nature, and from the grand objects that 
range in her walks ; and true genius ever delights 
in considering these as the real sources of beauty 
and magnificence. Amos had the opportunities, and 
a mind inclined, to contemplate the works of the 
Deity, and his descriptions of the Almighty are 
particularly sublime ; indeed his whole work is ani- 
mated with a very fine masculine eloquence (r)> " 

Many have been the conjectures concerning the 
age in which Obadiah lived. The most probable 
opinion seems to be, that he was contemporary 
with Jeremiah and Ezekiel, and that he delivered 
his prophecy about the year 585 before Christ, 
soon after the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebu- 
chadnezzar. This book, which consists of a single 
chapter, is written with great beauty and elegance, 
and contains predictions of the utter destruction 
of the Edomites, and of the future restoration and 
prosperity of the Jews. 

Jonah was the son of Amittai, of the tribe of 
Zabulon, and was born at Gath-hepher in Galilee. 
He is generally considered as the most antient of 
the prophets, and is supposed to have lived about 

840 years 

(q) 2 Cor. c. 1 1 . v. 6. (r) Gray. 



chap, ii.] of the Old Testament. 87 

840 years before Christ. The book of Jonah is 
chiefly narrative ; he relates that he was command- 
ed by God to go to Nineveh, and preach against 
the inhabitants of that capital of the Assyrian 
empire ; that through fear of executing this com- 
mission he set sail for Tarshish, and that in his 
voyage thither, a tempest arising, he was cast by 
the mariners into the sea, and swallowed by a large 
fish ; that while in the belly of this fish he prayed 
to God, and was, after three days and three nights, 
delivered out of it alive ; that he then received a 
second command to go and preach against Nine- 
veh, which he obeyed ; that upon his threatening 
the destruction of the city within forty days, the 
king and people proclaimed a fast, and repented 
of their sins ; and that upon this repentance, God 
suspended the sentence which he had ordered to 
be pronounced in his name (s). The last chapter 
gives an account of the murmuring of Jonah at 
this instance of divine mercy, and of the gentle 
and condescending manner in which it pleased 
God to reprove the prophet for his unjust com- 
plaint. The style of Jonah is simple and perspi- 
cuous, and his prayer, in the second chapter, is 
strongly descriptive of the feelings of a pious mind 
under a severe trial of faith. 

Micah was a native of Morasthi, a village in the 
southern part of Judaea, and is supposed to have 
prophesied about 750 years before Christ. He was 
commissioned to denounce the judgments of God 
against both the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, for 
their idolatry and wickedness. The principal pre- 
dictions contained in this book are, the invasions 
of Shalmanezer and Sennacherib ; the destruction 
of Samaria and of Jerusalem, mixed with conso- 
latory promises of the deliverance of the Jews from 

the 

(s) Upon their repentance God deferred the execution of 
his judgment, till the increase of their iniquities made them 
ripe for destruction, about 150 years afterwards. — Lowth, 



88 Contents of the several Books [part f , 

the Babylonian captivity, and of the downfal of 
the power of their Assyrian and Babylonian op- 
pressors ; the cessation of prophecy in consequence 
of their continued deceitfulness and hypocrisy; 
and desolation in a then distant period, still greater 
than that which was declared to be immediately 
impending. The birth of the Messiah at Beth- 
lehem is also expressly foretold ; and the Jews are 
directed to look to the establishment and extent 
of his kingdom, as an unfailing source of comfort 
amidst general distress. The style of Micah is 
nervous, concise, and elegant, often elevated and 
poetical, but sometimes obscure from sudden tran- 
sitions of subject; and the contrast of the neglect- 
ed duties of justice, mercy, humility, and piety, 
with the punctilious observance of the ceremonial 
sacrifices, affords a beautiful example of the har- 
mony which subsists between the Mosaic and 
Christian dispensations, and shews that the law 
partook, in some degree at least, of that spiritual 
nature, which more immediately characterizes the 
religion of Jesus. 

Nahum is supposed to have been a native of 
Elcosh or Elcosha, a village in Galilee, and to have 
been of the tribe of Simeon. There is great un- 
certainty about the exact period in which he lived, 
but it is generally allowed that he delivered his 
predictions between the Assyrian and Babylonian 
captivities, and probably about the year 715 before 
Christ. They relate solely to the destruction of 
Nineveh (t) by the Babylonians and Medes, and 
are introduced by an animated display of the at- 
tributes of God. Of all the minor prophets, says 

Bishop 

(t) Archbishop Usher places the destruction of Nineveh 
A. M. 3378, that is, according to Dean Prideaux, in the 29th 
year of King Josiah, and twenty-four years before the de- 
struction of Jerusalem, which time exactly agrees with the 
account given by Herodotus and other heathen historians. 



cftAP.ii.] of the Old Testament. 8g 

Bishop Lowth (u), none seems to equal Nahum in 
sublimity, ardour, and boldness. His prophecy 
forms an entire and regular poem. The exordium 
is magnificent and truly august. The preparation 
for the destruction of Nineveh, and the description 
of that destruction, are expressed in the most glow- 
ing colours; and at the same time the prophet 
writes with a perspicuity and elegance, which have 
a just claim to our highest admiration. 

Nothing is certainly known concerning the tribe 
or birth-place of Habakkuk. He is supposed to 
have prophesied about the year 605 before Christ, 
and to have been alive at the time of the final de- 
struction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. It is 
generally believed that he remained and died in 
Judaea. The principal predictions contained in 
this book are, the destruction of Jerusalem, and 
the captivity of the Jews by the Chaldseans or 
Babylonians ; their deliverance from the oppressor 
*' at the appointed time;" and the total ruin of 
the Babylonian empire. The promise of the Mes- 
siah is confirmed; the overruling providence of 
God is asserted; and the concluding prayer, or 
rather hymn, recounts the wonders which God 
had wrought for his people, when he led them from 
Egypt into Canaan, and expresses the most per- 
fect confidence in the fulfilment of his promises. 
The style of Habakkuk is highly poetical, and the 
hymn is, perhaps, unrivalled for united sublimity, 
simplicity, and piety. 

Zephaniah was the son of Cushi, and was pro- 
bably of a noble family of -the tribe of Simeon. He 
prophesied in the reign of Josiah, about 630 years 
before Christ. He denounces the judgments of 
God against the idolatry and sins of his country- 
men, and exhorts them to repentance ; he predicts 
the punishment of the Philistines, Moabites, Am- 
monites, and Ethiopians, and foretels the destruc- 
tion 
ft*; Pnel, 21, 



90 Contents of the several Books [parti* 

tion of Nineveh; he again inveighs against the 
corruptions of Jerusalem, and with his threats, 
mixes promises of future favour and prosperity to 
his people, whose recal from their dispersion shall 

florify the name of God throughout the world, 
'he style of Zephaniah is poetical ; but it is not 
distinguished by any peculiar elegance or beauty, 
though generally animated and impressive. 

Haggai was one of the Jews, who returned with 
Zerubbabel to Jerusalem in consequence of the 
edict of Cyrus; and it is believed, that he was 
born during the captivity, and that he was of the 
sacerdotal race. This short book consists of four 
distinct revelations, all which took place in the 
second year of Darius king of Persia, which was 
the 520th year before Christ. The prophet reproves 
the people for their delay in building the temple 
of God, and represents the unfruitful seasons which 
they had experienced, as a divine punishment for 
this neglect. He exhorts them to proceed in the 
important work; and by way of encouragement 
he tells them, that the glory of the second temple, 
however inferior in external magnificence, shall 
exceed that of the first, which was accomplished by 
its being honoured with the presence of the Saviour 
of Mankind. He again urges the completion of 
the temple by promises of divine favour, and under 
the type of Zerubbabel he is supposed to foretel the 
great revolutions which shall precede the second 
advent of Christ. The style of Haggai is in general 
plain and simple ; but in some passages it rises to 
a considerable degree of sublimity. 

Zechariah was the son of Barachiah, and the 
grandson of Iddo. He was born during the capti- 
vity, and came to Jerusalem when the Jews were 
permitted by Cyrus to return to their own country. 
He began to prophesy two months later than 
Haggai ; and continued to exercise his office about 

two 



€ hap. ii.] of the Old Testament. gi 

two years. Like his contemporary Haggai, Zecha- 
riah begins with exhorting the Jews to proceed in 
the rebuilding of the temple ; he promises them 
the aid and protection of God, and assures them of 
the speedy increase and prosperity of Jerusalem ; 
he then emblematically describes the four great 
empires, and foretels the glory of the Christian 
church, when Jews and Gentiles shall be united 
under their great high priest and governor, Jesus 
Christ, of whom Joshua the high priest, and Ze- 
rubbabel the governor, were types; he predicts 
many particulars relative to our Saviour and his 
kingdom, and to the future condition of the Jews. 
Many moral instructions and admonitions are in- 
terspersed throughout the work. Several learned 
men have been of opinion that the last six chapters 
were not written by Zechariah ; but whoever wrote 
them, their inspired authority is established by 
their being quoted in three of the Gospels (x). 
The style of Zechariah is so remarkably similar to 
that of Jeremiah, that the Jews were accustomed 
to observe, that the spirit of Jeremiah had passed 
into him. By far the greater part of this book is 
prosaic : but towards the conclusion there are some 
poetical passages which are highly ornamented. 
The diction is in general perspicuous, and the tran- 
sitions to the different subjects are easily discerned. 
Malachi prophesied about 400 years before 
Christ ; and some traditionary accounts state that 
he was a native of Sapha, and of the tribe of 
Zabulon. He reproves the people for their wicked- 
ness, and the priests for their negligence in the 
discharge of their office ; he threatens the disobe- 
dient with the judgments of God, and promises 
great rewards to the penitent and pious ; he pre- 
dicts the coming of Christ, and the preaching of 

John 

(x) Matt. c. 26. v. 31. Mark, c. 14. v. 27. John, c. 19. 
v. 37. Vide Newcorne on the Minor Prophets. 



92 Contents, fyc. of the Old Testament. 

John the Baptist ; and with a solemnity becoming 
the last of the prophets, he closes the sacred 
canon with enjoining the strict observance of the 
Mosaic Law, till the forerunner, already promised, 
should appear in the spirit of Elias, to introduce 
the Messiah, who was to establish a new and 
everlasting covenant. Malachi lived in the de- 
cline of the Hebrew poetry, which greatly dege- 
nerated after the return from the Babylonian 
captivity ; but his writings are by no means desti- 
tute of force or elegance, and he may justly be 
considered as occupying a middle place among the 
minor prophets. 



[ 93 ] 

PART I. 

CHAPTER THE THIRD: 

THE OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY ABRIDGED^ 

AND 

THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS CONTINUED TO 

THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM 

BY THE ROMANS. 



T'he Old Testament begins with the history of the 
■*• Creation, which Moses was enabled 
by divine Inspiration to relate. From '^ 
Revelation therefore we learn, that the world was 
created (a) in six days, and that " on the seventh 
.day God ended his work which he had made, and 
blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it (b)" The 
first man Adam was created on the sixth day. 
" And God said, Let us make man in our image, 
after our likeness (c) ; and let them have dominion 

over 

(a) According to the Hebrew text, which we follow in 
this work, the world was created 4004 years before the birth 
of Christ. The Septuagmt version places the creation 5872 
years, and the Samaritan Pentateuch 4700, before the Chris- 
tian asra. 

(b) Gen. c. 2. v. 2 and 3. 

(c) " In our image, after our likeness :" — Two words, 
some chink, to express the same thing, with this difference 1 
only, as Abarbinel explains it, that the last words, after our. 
likeness, gives us to understand, that man was not created pro- 
perly and perfectly in the image of God, but in a resemblance 

of 



94 Old Testament History abridged, [part 3. 

over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the 
air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and 
over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the 
earth. So God created man in his own image, in 
the image of God created he him : male and female 
created he them. — And the Lord God formed man 
of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his 
nostrils the breath of life : and man became a living 
soul (d)." Man was created innocent, upright, 
and happy, with powers of understanding and 
will, a rational and moral free agent. He was 
immediately placed in the fruitful and pleasant 
garden of Eden, and was, with one exception, 
indulged in the free use of every thing which 

surrounded 
( d) Gen. c. l . v. 26 and 27. c. 2. v. 7. 

of him. For he doth not say, in our likeness, says that author, 
as he had said, in our image, but after our likeness ; where 
the Caph of similitude, as they call it, abates something of 
the sense of what follows, and makes it signify only an ap- 
proach to the divine likeness, in understanding, freedom of 
choice, spirituality, immortality, &c. Thus Tertullian explains 
it: Habent illas ubique lineas Dei, qu& immortalis anima, 
qua libera et sui arbitrii, qua preescia plerumque, qua rationa- 
lis, capax intellectus et scientiae, lib. 2. cont. Marc. cap. 9. 
And so Greg. Nyssen, cap. 16. de Opis. Horn, navies ra 5woew0*< 
jtiti 7TpoC«X£y£iv lwa(xi\ i^eri, &c. All have a power of considering 
and designing, of consulting and fore-appointing of what 
Ave intend to do. Purity and holiness likewise seem to be 
comprehended in this, as may be gathered from the apostle, 
Col. c. 3. v. 10. For the new man consists in righteousness 
and true holiness. Eph. c. 4. v. 24. But though he was cre- 
ated with a faculty to judge aright, and with a power to 
govern his appetites, which he could control more easily than 
we can do now ; yet he was not made immutably good (quia 
hoc soli Deo cedit, which belongs to God alone, as Tertullian 
excellently discourses in that place) but might, without due 
care, be induced to do evil, as we see he did :, for an habituated 
confirmed estate of goodness was even then to have been ac- 
quired by watchfulness and exercise, whereby, in process of 
time, he might have become so stedfast, that he could not have 
been prevailed upon by any temptation to do contrary to his 
duty. — Patrick. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 95 
surrounded him. A single prohibition was imposed 
by his Creator, as the mark of his dependance, and 
the test of his obedience. He was forbidden to eat 
the fruit of the tree which was called the Tree of 
the Knowledge of Good and Evil, with a solemn 
denunciation from God, that if he did eat of it, 
he should surely die. But neither his residence 
in the garden of Eden, in which was every thing 
•* pleasant to the sight and good for food/' nor his 
absolute " dominion over all creatures of the earth, 
and of the sea, and of the air," could render man 
happy without a rational companion. " And God 
said, it is not good that the man should be alone : 
I will make him an help meet for him (e)" And 
God formed the first woman, Eve, out of one of 
Adam's ribs, and brought her unto Adam as his wife, 
to prove that this Being was of the same nature as 
himself, and therefore worthy to be considered as 
his companion. And Adam said " this is now 
bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh : therefore 
shall a man leave his father and his mother, and 
shall cleave unto his wife ; and they shall be one 
flesh (f) :" thus was man pronounced to be a social 
being, and thus was marriage instituted, by divine 
authority, from the beginning of the world. 

But the happiness of our first parents was soon 
interrupted by the malignity of Satan, or the Evil 
Spirit, who was permitted to tempt them to trans- 
gress the command of their benevolent Creator, in 
the form of a serpent (g), which is said to be 

" more 

(e) Gen. c. 2. v. 18. 

(f) Gen. c. 2. v. 23 and 24. 

(g) See Patrick's Commentaries, Sherlock's Discourses, 
and Maurice's History and Indian Antiquities, upon this- 
subject. The prophet Isaiah, c. 27. v. l. evidently alludes 
to Satan as " the dragon or the serpent ;" and he is so called 
in the Revelation, c. 12. v. 9. c. 20. v. 2. Eastern tradition 
confirms this account, and represents the Evil Spirit under th« 
same form. 



96 Old Testament History abridged, [part i, 
" more subtle than any beast of the field (h)." The 
serpent seduced Eve, and Eve afterwards seduced 
Adam, to eat of the forbidden fruit, by exciting 
the hope that it would increase their knowledge, 
and exalt the dignity of their nature. By this 
violation of the express command of God, sin and 
misery were introduced into the world. A total 
change, in consequence of this fall from their pri- 
mitive innocence, instantaneously took place in 
their minds and dispositions ; and a corrupt nature, 
subject to disease and death, and prone to vice 
and wickedness, was derived from them to all their 
posterity. " Unto the woman, God said, I will 
greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception : 
in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children ; and thy 
desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule 
over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou 
hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast 
eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, say- 
ing, thou shalt not eat of it : cursed is the ground 
for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the 
days of thy life. Thorns also, and thistles shall it 
bring forth to thee : and thou shalt eat the herb 
of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou 
eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for 
out of it wast thou taken : for dust thou art, and 
unto dust shalt thou return (i)" — " And the Lord 
God said, Behold the man is become as one of us, 
to know good and evil : and now, lest he put forth 
his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, 
and live for ever; therefore the Lord God sent 
him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the 
ground from whence he was taken (k)." 

As the fall of Adam, and the consequent cor- 
ruption of human nature, were the original cause 

of 

(h) Gen. c. 3. v. ] . 

(i) Gen. c. 3. v. 16—19. 

(k) Gen. c. 3. v. 22 and 23. 



c h a p . 1 1 1 .] and History of the Jews continued, 97 
of the necessity of a Redeemer, we find that God 
was pleased to give an intimation of the future 
redemption of mankind, at the time he denounced 
punishment upon Adam's disobedience : u And the 
Lord God said unto the serpent, I will .put enmity 
between thee and the woman, and between thy 
seed and her seed ; it shall bruise thy head, and 
thou shall bruise his heel (I)." 

To Adam and Eve were born sons and daugh- 
ters, but their number is not recorded in Scripture. 
The only three, whose names are mentioned, are 
Gain, Abel, and Seth ; and of these three the sa- 
cred historian has chiefly confined himself to the 
posterity of Seth, probably because from him 
were descended Noah and Abraham, and conse- 
quently the people chosen to preserve the know- 
ledge of God in the world, and to give birth tot 
the promised Messiah. 

The race of men quickly increased, and the 
lives of the patriarchs were extended to more than 
900 years. In the time of Noah, who was the 
ninth in descent from Adam, the wickedness of 
men became so great, that God saw fit to destroy, 
by a general deluge, all the inhabitants of the 
earth, except Noah and his wife, and his three 
sons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet, and their wives, 
and two, male and female, of every species of 
animals. These were all preserved in an Ark made 
by the command of God, who himself prescribed 
its form and dimensions. " Noah found grace in 
the eyes of the Lord, because he was a just man, 
and perfect in his generations, and walked with 
God (m)" The deluge was 1656 years + 

after the creation of the world, and 2348 ^ 
before the birth of Christ. " And every living 
substance was destroyed which was upon the face 

(I) Gen. c. 3. v. 15. Vide Patrick in Loc. 
(m) Gen. c. 6. v. 8 and 9. 



98 Old Testament History abridged, [part u 
of the ground, both man and cattle, and the creep- 
ing things, and the fowl of the heaven : and they 
were destroyed from the earth, and Noah only 
remained alive, and they that were with him in 
the Ark (n)" After " the waters had prevailed 
upon the earth an hundred and fifty days (o)" 
they began to abate ; the Ark rested upon the 
mountain of Ararat in Armenia, and Noah and his 
family, and every one of the living creatures, 
having been in the Ark one year and seventeen 
days, came out of it upon dry ground. Noah 
immediately offered sacrifices unto God as a 
thanksgiving for his preservation ; and God was 
pleased to enter into a covenant with him, that 
there should not any more be a flood to destroy 
the earth ; " and God set his bow in the clouds 
as a token of this covenant (p)." 

The descendants of Noah and his sons multiplied 
greatly, and they were all " of one language and 
of one speech (q)" — After a certain time, the 
whole race (r) of men moved from their original 
habitations in Armenia, and settled in the plains of 
Shinar, near the Euphrates, in Assyria or Chaldea. 
— Here they determined to establish themselves, 
and began to build a city and " tower, whose top 
might reach to heaven (s)" God was displeased 

with 

(n) Gen. c. 7. v. 23. (0) Gen. c. 8. v. 3/ 

(p) Gen. c. 9. v. 13. (q) Gen. c. 11. v. 1. 

(r) In the first two editions of this Work, I stated that 
« part only of the inhabitants of the earth " journeyed from 
the east" and settled in the plains of Shinar; but from a 
more attentive consideration of the subject, to which I have 
been led by the learned and ingenious " Remarks on the 
Eastern Origination of Mankind," by Mr. Granville Perm, 
published in the second volume of the Eastern Collections, I 
have been induced to change my opinion. I think the whole 
of Mr. Penn's account extremely probable, and recommend 
it to those who are disposed to attend to disquisitions of this 
kind. 

(s) Gen. c. n.v. 4. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 99 
with this work, which seems to have been under- 
taken from a distrust in his word, and in defiance 
of his power, and probably in contradiction to 
some command they had received to spread them- 
selves over the earth to repeople it. "And God 
confounded the language of those who were en- 
gaged in it, so that they did not understand one 
another's speech; and the Lord scattered them 
abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth, 
and they left off to build the city (t). Therefore 
is the name of it called Babel (u), because the 
Lord did there confound the language of all the 
earth." 

From this confusion of the original language of 
mankind at Babel, and the dispersion which 
immediately took place, new languages 47- 
were formed, and the different parts of the world 
became inhabited. The late excellent Sir William 
Jones has very satisfactorily traced the origin of 
all the people of the earth to the three roots, 
Shem, Ham, and Japhet, according to the ac- 
count given in the tenth chapter of Genesis. The 
learned are not agreed whether we have any re- 
mains of the primitive language of men ( v) ; and 
as the Scriptures are silent upon the subject, we 
must be content to leave it in uncertainty. Per- 
haps it is most probable, that the old Hebrew or 
Syriac is the most antient language which has 

descended 

- (?) Gen. c. 1 1. v. 7, 8, and 9. 

(u) Babel signifies confusion. 

(v) Sir William Jones is of opinion, that the primary- 
language is entirely lost. .He says, " it appears that the only 
human family, after the flood, established themselves in the 
northern parts of Iran (that is Persia); that as they multi- 
plied, they were divided into three distinct branches, th& 
Indian, the Arabian, and the Tartarian, each retaining little 
at first, and losing the whole by degrees, of their common 
primary language;" and to these three roots, namely, the 
Hindoo, the Syriac, and the Tartarian, he traces all the lan- 
guages in the world. 

F 2 



loo Old Testament History abridged, [part i. 
descended to us ; and, in support of this opinion, 
the Jewish historians assert, that the sons of Eber 
or Heber did not concur with the rest in the at- 
tempt to build the tower, and therefore retained 
the primitive language. Abraham, the sixth from 
Heber, is called in Genesis " Abraham the He- 
brew (oc)" and his posterity were called Hebrews 
by the Egyptians. The general custom of naming 
the people after the head of the family, and " the 
division of the earth," which is expressly men- 
tioned to have taken place in the days of Heber's 
two sons, Peleg and Joktan (y), seem to render 
it more probable that the name of Hebrew was 
derived from the patriarch Heber, than from the 
circumstance of Abraham's passing over the river 
Euphrates^,). 

Terah, the father of Abraham, was the ninth 

o in descent from Shem, the son of Noah. 
' ?*.' He removed with his family from Ur in 
Chaldsea (a) to Haran in Mesopotamia, and there 
died. " Now the Lord had said unto Abraham, 
Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kin- 
dred, and from thy father's house, unto a land 
that I will shew thee ; and I will make of thee a 
great nation, and in thee shall all the families of 
the earth be blessed (b)" This is the second 
promise of a future Saviour of the world, in which 
it was declared that he should be a descendant 
of Abraham. Abraham departed, and went by 
divine direction into the land of Canaan, with 
Sarah his wife, Lot his brother's son, and all their 

substance. 

(x) Gen. c. 14. v. 13. 

(y) Gen. c. 10. v. 25. 

(z) Heber, in the Hebrew language, signifies beyond, or or 
the other side. 

(a) This Chaldaea was in or near Armenia, and must not 
be confounded with the country afterwards called Chaldaea, 
the capital of which was Babylon. — Maurice. 

'(b) Gen. c. 12. v. 1, 2, and 3. 



chap.- in.] and History of the Jews continued. 101 
substance. After the removal of Abraham into 
Canaan, which is generally denominated the Call 
of Abraham, God gave him this farther promise, 
<e Unto thy seed will I give this land (c)" In con- 
sequence of a famine which arose in Canaan, 
Abraham went and resided in Egypt; but it is not 
recorded how long he remained in that country. 
At length Pharaoh ( d), the king, commanded him 
to leave it, and he returned to his former habita- 
tion in Canaan, where he became very rich in 
cattle, in silver, and in gold. And God said to 
Abraham, " All the land which thou seest, to thee 
will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I will 
make thy seed as the dust of the earth, so that if 
a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall 
thy seed also be numbered (e)." — And again, God 
said, " Look now toward heaven, and tell the 
stars, if thou be able to number them. And he 
said unto him, so shall thy seed be (f)." These 
promises of numerous descendants were made to 
Abraham at the time he had no children, but " he 
believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for 
righteousness (g)" — " And God said unto Abra- 
ham in a dream, Know of a surety that thy seed 
shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, 
and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them 
400 (h) years ; and also that nation, whom they 

shall 

(c) Gen. c. 12. v. 7. 

(d) It is certain that the name of Pharaoh was common to 
all the kings of Egypt from this time till the Babylonian cap- 
tivity ; but how much longer it continued, or when the first 
Pharaoh reigned, is not known. Pharaoh, in the Ethiopic 
language, signifies Father of the Country. 

.(e) Gen. c. 13. v. 15 and 16. 

(J) Gen. c. 15. v. 5. 

(g) Gen. c. 15. v. 6. 

(h) The affliction here foretold was partly in Canaan and 
partly in Egypt, which were neighbouring countries, and both 
inhabited by the descendants of Ham. It began at the birth 
of Isaac, and ended at the deliverance from Egyptian bondage. 
The precise time was 405, years but odd numbers are fre- 
p 3 quently 



102 Old Testament Histon/ abridged, [pa jit j, 
shall serve, will I judge ; and afterwards shall they 
come out with great substance ; but in the fourth 
generation they shall come hither again (i)." And 
God having again promised numerous descendants 
to Abraham, instituted the rite of circumcision (k) 
as the sign of a covenant between himself and the 
■seed of Abraham. He commanded that on the 
eighth day every man-child should be circum- 
cised (I). 

When Abraham and Sarah were far advanced in 

years, their son Isaac was born; and God declared 

to Abraham," In Isaac shall thy seed be called (m). 7> 

« « Isaac was born twenty-five years after Abra- 

^ ' ham's arrival in Canaan; and fourteen years 
before the birth of Isaac, Abraham had a son by 
Hagar, an Egyptian bond-woman, the handmaid 
of his wife Sarah (n). This son was called Ishmael ; 

and 

quently omitted upon such occasions. In Exodus, c^ 12. v. 4o- 
this affliction or sojourning is said to have lasted 430 years. 
This difference is accounted for by considering, that in the 
latter case the 25 years, during which Abraham was in the 
land of Canaan, before Isaac was born, are included ; and 
these 25 years, which began when the promise was given, 
added to 405, make exactly 430 years. 

(i) Gen. c. 15 v. 13, &c. 

(k) See Home's Scripture History of the Jews, vol. 2. for 
the origin of circumcision, and Shuckford's Connexion, from 
whose examination it appears evident that the Egyptians did 
not practise circumcision till after Abraham had been in 

Egypt- 

(I) The eighth day is the time of circumcision among tf;e 
Jews, that is, the descendants of Abraham and Sarah ; but 
because Ishmael the son of Abraham and Hagar, was thirteen 
years old when he was circumcised, the descendants of Ish- 
mael are not circumcised till that age. Circumcision was a 
type of baptism. Abraham was the first person circumcised, 
and he is also the first person called a prophet in Scripture. 

(m) Gen. c. 21. v. 12. 

(n) St. Paul points out a material difference between these 
two sons of Abraham. He says, that Ishmael, the son of 
Hagar the bond-woman, was born only according to the flesh, 
in the common course of nature ; but that Isaac was bore by 

virtue 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 103 
and from him are descended the Arabians, whose 
character, even to this day, answers to the de- 
scription of their ancestor ; " He will be a wild 
man ; his hand will be against every man, and 
every man's hand against him (0)" 

God was pleased to make trial of Abraham's 
faith and obedience, by commanding him ~ 
to take his son Isaac, when he was about ' ' 
twenty-five years of age, and offer him as a burnt- 
offering upon Mount Moriah. Abraham rose early 
the next morning, and went with Isaac to the ap- 
pointed place. He built an altar there ; and every 
preparation being made, just as he was about to 
slay his son, an angel of the Lord called to him, 
and said, " Lay not thine hand upon the lad, 
neither do thou any thing unto him ; for now I 
know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not 
withheld thy son, thine only son, from me. And 
Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and be- 
held behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his 
horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, 
and offered it up for a burnt-offering in the stead 
of his son (p)." The mountain, on which Abraham 
was commanded to offer his son Isaac, was the 
same as that on which the temple of Solomon was 
afterwards built, and on which Christ was cruci- 
fied ; and the whole transaction is to be considered 
as typical of the sacrifice of Christ (q). 

Isaac, who was expressly prohibited by his 

father 

(0) Gen. c. 16. v. 12. (p) Gen. c. 22. v. 12, 13. 

(q) Abraham's answer to Isaac's question, " Where is the 
lamb for a burnt-offering ?" maybe looked upon as prophetical; 
" My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt-offer- 
ing." Gen. c. 22. v. 8. 

virtue of the promise, and by the particular interposition of 
divine power : and that these two sons of Abraham were de- 
signed to represent the two covenants of the law and the 
gospel, the former a state of bondage, the latter of freedom. 
— Gal. c.4. 



104 0^ Testament History abridged, [part t, 
father from taking a Canaanitish woman to wife, 
married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the sori 
j, fi ' of Nahor, Abraham's brother, and had by 
° ' her two sons, Esau and Jacob. God renew- 
ed to Isaac the promises which he had made to 
Abraham ; " I will make thy seed to multiply as 
the stars of heaven ; and will give unto thy seed 
all these countries ; and in thy seed shall all the 
nations of the earth be blessed (r)" In those days 
the head of the family or tribe was considered as 
the governor whom God had placed over them ( s) ; 
in him were vested the offices of king and priest ; 
to him were entrusted the promises of God, and 
the care of preserving his people obedient and 
happy. Voluntarily to resign this station, was then 
to desert the charge assigned to him by God (t). 
Accordingly we find, that after Esau, had proved 

how 

(r) Gen. c. 2G. v. 4. 

(s) This opinion and this custom have been preserved among 
many of the Arabian tribes to the present hour. 

(t) " The patriarchal form of government (so called from 
wttT^ct familia and a^auy princeps) is defined by Godwin to con- 
sist in the ' fathers of families, and their first-born after them, 
exercising all kinds of ecclesiastical and civil authority in 
their respective households ; blessing, cursing, casting out of 
doors, disinheriting and punishing with death.' It is natural 
to suppose that Adam, the father of all mankind, would be 
considered as supreme among them, and have special honour 
paid him so long as he lived ; and that when his posterity 
separated into distinct families and tribes, their respective 
fathers would be acknowledged by them as their princes. For 
as they could not, in any tolerable manner, live together 
without some kind of government, and no government can 
subsist without' some head in which the executive power 
is lodged; whom were the children so likely, after they 
grew up, to acknowledge in this capacity as their father, to 
whose authority they had been used to submit in their early 
years ; and hence, those, who were at first only acknowledged 
as kings over their own households, grew insensibly into 
monarchs of larger communities, by claiming the same au- 
thority over the families which branched out of them, as 
they had exercised over their own. However, the proper 
patriarchal government is supposed to have continued among 

the 



CtrxK Mi.] and History of the Jews continued. 105 
now lightly he esteemed the high and sacred dis- 
tinction to which his birth entitled him, by selling 
his birth-right for a mess of pottage, the arts of 
Jacob and his mother Rebekah were permitted to 
succeed (u). It should be remembered, however, 

that 

the people of God until the time of the Israelites dwelling 
in Egypt, for then we have the first intimation of a different 
form of government among them. Our author hath perhaps 
assigned greater authority to the patriarchs than they reason- 
ably could or did claim and exercise ; at least the instances 
he produces to prove they were ordinarily invested with such 
a despotic power in civilibus et sacris, as he ascribes to them, 
are not sufficiently convincing." Jennings's Jewish Ant. 
vol. 1. p. 1. — Whether we suppose the patriarchs derived their 
authority immediately from God, or that it was the natural 
result of situation, it will, I think, seem probable that their 
power was not defined, but was exerted according to circum- 
stances. It never, however, appears to have been disputed 
in those early ages, and the ideas of king and father were 
long intimately blended. Even when the corruptions of 
time, and the aggressions of tyranny, had separated these ideas, 
the person of a king was ever held sacred ; and whoever lifted 
his hand against his life, however cruel, unjust, or wicked he 
might be, never failed to be considered as impious, and to 
meet with general execration. Indeed, whether we consider 
sacred or profane history, civil government appears to derive 
ks origin from the patriarchal ages, and therefore it would 
be difficult to deny that it was " ordained of God." It will 
appear also that the monarchical form of civil government is 
the most antient ; that the monarchy was hereditary till 
the numerous collateral settlements, the necessities, the dan- 
gers, and the wars, which soon began to disturb the world, 
gave rise sometimes to the usurpation of acknowledged 
right, and sometimes to the election of some warlike chief 
to be the head of several tribes united by consent ; that the 
power of the monarch was limited by the laws of religion and 
morality, and patriarchal customs, not by the will of the 
people, till after these restraints had been found insufficient 
barriers against tyranny ; and then, by general consent, laws 
and regulations were established, to preserve the general' 
liberty and happiness of each community. 

(u) u One of the great privileges of primogeniture in these 

antient times, consisted in being the priest or sacrificer for 

the family ; and it is very likely Jacob had a view also to the 

promise of the Messiah, which he readily might think would 

r 5 attend 



106 Old Testament History abridged, [part i. 
that God had declared, before the birth of her sons, 
that " the elder should serve the younger (v) ;" 
and though deceit can never be justified, it is pos- 
sible that Rebekah was led to practise it from 
anxiety to prevent Isaac " from sinning against, 
the Lord," by attempting to counteract this decree, 
as well as by partiality to Jacob : for Isaac seems 
to have intended to give his paternal blessing 
secretly. Isaac's desire to secure to his eldest son 
the benefits of the prophetic blessing is indeed a 
very remarkable proof of the perfect confidence 
in the promises of God, and the full conviction of 
divine Inspiration, which possessed the minds of 
the early patriarchs. 

Jacob, having obtained the promise of inheri 
fi tance, was sent by his father to Padan-aram, 
' ' or Syria, to take a wife out of his own 
family, that he might avoid a connection with the 
accursed family of Canaan, into which Esau had 
married ; and from the character (w) given of " the 
daughters of Canaan," we may conclude the people 
were then hastening " to fill the cup of their 
iniquity." Jacob was favoured with a vision in his 
way to Padan-aram, by which God was pleased to 
establish his covenant with him, as he had done 
with Abraham and with Isaac ( x). After residing 

there 

attend upon the purchase of the birth-right; and it is pro- 
bable that Esau, upon both these accounts, is called by tho 
apostle " a profane person," Heb. c. 12. v. 16. " as despising 
that promise, and the religious employment of the priest 
hood. 7 ' Home's Scripture History, vol. 1st. 

(v) Gen. c. 25. v. 23. 

(w) Gen. c. 27. v. 46. 

(x) It may be observed, that God was pleased to renew 
with Isaac and with Jacob the covenant he had made with 
Abraham, because Abraham had other sons by Hagar and his 
second wife Keturah, and Isaac had two sons ; but all th«# 
twelve sons of Jacob inherited the promises, and we therefore 
hear of no renewal of the covenant till the time arrived for 

the 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued, 107 
there some time, he married Leah and Rachel, the 
two daughters of Laban, his mother's brother. By- 
Leah he had six sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, 
Judah, Issachar, and Zabulon ; by Rachel he had 
two, namely, Joseph and Benjamin. He had also 
two sons, Dan and jSTaphthali, by Bilhah, Rachel's 
handmaid ; and he had two other sons, Gad and 
Ashur, by Zilpah, Leah's handmaid. These twelve 
sons were all born to Jacob in Padan-aram; but 
Jacob returned to the land of Canaan before the 
death of his father Isaac. In his way thither, God 
was pleased to grant Jacob a remarkable token of 
his favour, and to change his name to Israel (y), 
whence his posterity were called Israelites. Esau 
had been some time established in Mount Seir, 
since called Edom (%), when his father died. He 
seems however to have returned to the plains of 
Mamre, on that event, for a short time at least ; 
for it is said that " Esau went from the face of his 
brother Jacob, for their families and cattle were 
more than the land would bear together, and dwelt 
in Mount Seir (a)." 

Joseph # was the favourite son of Jacob : " And 
when his brethren saw that their father loved him 
more than all his brethren, they hated him, and 
could not speak peaceably to him ( b) ;" and Jo- 
seph, by relating to them two prophetic dreams, 
with which he was favoured, denoting that his 
condition in the world would be superior to theirs, 
greatly increased their envy and hatred. It hap- 
pened that Jacob sent Joseph to the fields,. " to 

enquire 

the beginning of the fulfilment of the promises, when Moses 
was to conduct them out of Egypt, and give them a peculiar 
law. (y) Gen. c. 32. v. 28. 

(z) The descendants of Esau are called Edomites in 
Scripture. (a) Gen. c. 36. v. 6. &c. 

* I cannot but refer my readers to the remarkable account 
of Joseph given by Justin, lib. 36. cap. 2. 

(b) Gen. c. 37. v. 4. 

f6 



108 Old Testament History abridged, [part f, 
enquire after his brethren and the flocks," and when 
his brothers saw him they resolved to kill him ; 
but being dissuaded by Reuben from shedding his 
blood, they threw him naked into a pit. It was 
Reuben's design to have taken him from thence, 
and to have preserved him ; but before he could 
execute this design, the other brothers, who pro- 
bably repented of their cruelty as soon as they had 
gratified their resentment, seeing some Ishmaelites 
^ who were merchants, passing by in their way 

' ' to Egypt, sold Joseph to them as the means 
of saving his life, without discovering their wicked- 
ness to their father ; they then besmeared his coat 
with blood, and carried it to Jacob, who, conclud- 
ing that his darling child was devoured by a wild 
beast, put on sackcloth, and mourned many days. 
In the meantime Joseph was carried into Egypt, 
and sold to Potiphar, the chief officer under Pha- 
raoh the king. " The Lord made all that Joseph 
did to prosper, and he found favour in the sight of 
his master, who made him overseer of his house, 
and put all that he had into his hands (c)." But 
there was a sudden reverse in Joseph's prosperity. 
Potiphar's wife endeavoured to seduce Joseph to 
dishonour his master's bed ; " but he refused, and 
said unto his master's wife, Behold, my master 
wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he 
hath committed all that he hath to my hand. There 
is none greater in this house than I, neither 
hath he kept any thing back from me, but thee, 
because thou art his wife : how then can I do this 
great wickedness, and sin against God (djV* — In- 
censed by his resolute refusal, this woman falsely 
accused him to her husband of having attempted 
to commit that crime by force, of which she could 
not, after repeated trials, prevail upon him to be 
guilty. Potiphar believed the accusation, and cast 

Joseph 

(c) Gen. c. 39. v. 3 and 4. 

(d) Gen. c. 39. v. 8 and 9. 



€ tt A p . Hi.] and History of the Jews continued. 1 6§ 
Joseph into prison. But here also God was with 
Joseph, and gave him favour in the sight of the 
keeper of the prison. The keeper entrusted to him 
the whole care of the prison, " and that which he 
did there likewise, the Lord made it to prosper (e)."_ 
It happened that the chief baker and chief butler 
of Pharaoh, who were confined in the same prison, 
dreamed each a dream, and Joseph interpreted 
..their dreams to them, foretelling, that at the expi- 
ration of three days, the baker would be hanged 
on a tree, and that the butler would be restored to 
his former situation in Pharaoh's family. Both 
these events happened precisely as Joseph had 
foretold. About two years after, Pharaoh had two 
dreams, which none of the wise men of the country 
could explain ; but the butler, recollecting Joseph, 
who was still in prison, mentioned him to Pharaoh; 
and the king sent for Joseph to interpret them. 
Joseph was enabled by God to understand 
the dreams ; and told Pharaoh, that they ' ®* 
portended seven years of plenty, which would be 
followed by seven years of famine ; and added, 
" Let therefore Pharaoh appoint officers over the 
land, and let them gather corn in the seven plen- 
teous years ; and this food shall be for store against 
the seven years of famine (f)" The king admiring 
the wisdom of Joseph, and justly concluding that 
" the spirit of God was in him (g)" entrusted to 
his care the business of collecting the com, and 
gave him full power in all other concerns of his 
kingdom. From all these transactions it appears, 
that the Egyptians worshipped the true God in 
these early ages, though their religion was pro- 
bably corrupted with some idolatrous mixture. 
The seven years of plenty came according to 

Joseph's 

(e) Gen. c. 39. v. 23. 

(f) Gen. c. 41. v. 34 and 36. 

(g) Gen. c.41. v. 38. 



HO Old Testament History abridged, [part i« 
Joseph's interpretation of the dreams, and vast quan- 
tities of corn were laid up, conformably to his advice, 
r. Afterwards began the years of famine, which 

' '* was not confined to Egypt, but extended 
f ' over all the face of the earth/' Then the store- 
houses were opened, and the corn was sold, not 
only to the Egyptians, but also to the neighbour- 
ing nations, under the direction of Joseph. This 
famine was severely felt in Canaan; and Jacob, 
hearing that there was corn in Egypt, sent ten of 
his sons thither to buy corn; but Benjamin re- 
mained with his father. 

Joseph had been nearly twenty years in Egypt 
when his ten brothers appeared, and " bowed before 
him." Instantly recollecting them, but not chusing 
to discover himself, he enquired who they were; 
and pretending to be dissatisfied with their account 
of themselves, he accused them of being spies, and 
cast them into prison. Joseph probably wished to 
recal their former wickedness to their remem- 
brance, and to produce contrition by calamity; 
and if this were his intention, he appears to have 
succeeded ; for " they said one to another, We are 
verily guilty concerning our brother . . . therefore 
is this distress come upon us (h)" At the end of 
three days he sent for them out of prison, and sup- 
plied them with corn ; but he detained Simeon, and 
bound him in the presence of his brothers. The 
rest he dismissed, commanding them to come back 
into Egypt with their youngest brother, to prove 
the truth of what they had asserted ; and promised 
that he would then restore Simeon, and suffer 
them to traffic in the land. 

When Jacob was informed of every thing which 
had passed in Egypt, he was astonished, and 
grieved to the soul. He recollected the loss of 
his favourite son Joseph ; he lamented the deten- 
tion 
(h) Gen. c. 42. t. 21. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 1 1 1 
lion of Simeon ; and declared that he would not 
part with Benjamin. But the seventy of the 
famine in Canaan, and the impossibility of pro- 
curing corn from any other place, except Egypt, 
at length induced him to send Benjamin thither, 
with his other sons, for a fresh supply. Upon 
their return to Egypt, Joseph immediately ordered 
a feast to be prepared for them at his own house. 
When he received them there, the sight of his" 
brother Benjamin (i), and the answers which they 
gave to his enquiries after their father Jacob, 
affected him so much, that " he sought where to 
weep ; and entered into his chamber and wept (k)". 
But when he had composed himself, he returned, 
and entertained them with great kindness, distin- 
guishing Benjamin with particular marks of re- 
gard. Before they departed the next mornings 
Joseph privately ordered his steward to put his 
silver cup with the corn money into Benjamin's 
sack; and when they had gone out of the city,, 
they were by Joseph's direction pursued, over- 
taken, and charged with ingratitude and theft. 
Conscious of their innocence, they proposed, 
" that with whomsoever the cup was found he 
should die, and the rest become bondmen to 
Joseph (I)" And when, upon examination, the 
cup was found in Benjamin's sack, they expressed 
the greatest surprise and concern, and all readily 
returned to Joseph, who reproached them with 
seeming indignation. The address of Judah to his 
unknown brother on this trying occasion, is one 
of the most beautiful examples of natural elo- 
quence it is possible to imagine. He recalled to 
Joseph's mind every thing which had passed when, 
they were before in Egypt; related to him Jacob's; 

:distress. 

(i) Benjamin was nearest his own age, and was the only 
one of his brothers by the same mother, namely, Rachel. 

( k) Gen. c. 43. v. 30, 

(I) Gen. c. 44. v. 9. 



H£ Old Testament History abridged, [part T# 
distress at parting with Benjamin ; stated the fatal 
consequences which must follow to their aged 
parent, if Benjamin did not return into Canaan; 
and offered himself to remain a bondman instead 
of Benjamin ; " For how," added he, " shall I go 
up to my father, and the lad be not with me ? lest 
peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my 
father (m)." — " Then Joseph could not refrain 
himself before all them that stood by him ; and he 
cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And 
there stood no man with him, while Joseph made 
himself known unto his brethren. And he wept 
aloud, and the Egyptians, and the house of 
Pharaoh, heard. And Joseph said unto his bre- 
thren, I am Joseph. — Doth my father yet live? 
— and his brethren could not answer him, for 
they were troubled at his presence (n)." Joseph, 
perceiving their distress, endeavoured by every 
expression of kindness to comfort them, and de- 
sired that they would go again into Canaan, and 
bring their venerable parent and all his family, 
that they might be placed in the land of Egypt, 
and partake of every good thing which the land 
afforded. And they returned into Canaan, and 
told their father that Joseph was alive, and 
governor of Egypt. The account appeared so 
incredible to Jacob, that he was with difficulty 
persuaded of its truth ; but being at length con- 
vinced, he exclaimed in a transport of joy and 
gratitude, " It is enough ; Joseph my son is yet 
alive. I will go and see him before I die (o)." — 
" And Jacob, and all his family, with their cattle 
and goods, set out for Egypt. And as they rested 
at Beersheba, God appeared unto Jacob in a 
dream, and said, " Fear not, Jacob, to go down 
into Egypt, for I will there make of thee a great 

nation. 

(m) Gen. c. 44. v. 34. 
(n) Gen. c.45. v. l.&c. 
(0) Gen. c. 45- v. 28. 



chap, ill.] and History of the Jeivs continued. 11$ 
nation. I will go down with thee into Egypt, and 
I will also surely bring thee up again (p) • and 
Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes (q). n 

When Jacob arrived in Egypt, his whole family, 
including Joseph and his two children, ~ 

amounted to seventy persons (r) ; and by ' 
the management of Joseph, who we may pre- 
sume acted in this instance under divine direction, 
they were placed in the land of Goshen. This land 
was suited to their occupation as shepherds ; here 
they grew and multiplied exceedingly, and con- 
tinued a people distinct from the Egyptians, " for 
every shepherd was an abomination unto the 
Egyptians (s)" — Jacob lived there seventeen 
years ; and before he died, he declared, in the 
spirit of prophecy, the future condition of all his 
children, and foretold that the Messiah shoulcj 
descend from Judah (t). He commanded Joseph 
to bury him in the land of Canaan, in the field of 
Machpelah, where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebe- 
kah, and Leah, were all buried, intimating by 
this command his faith in the promise of God, 
that his seed should possess the land of Canaan. 
The body of Jacob was, by the permission «« 
of Pharaoh, carried from Goshen, and bu- «fc, 

ried by his sons with great solemnity in the land 
of Canaan. Joseph returned with his brothers 
into Egypt, and continued to treat them with the 

same 

(p) That is, his posterity. Scripture frequently mentions 
parents and children as the same persons. But it may be 
observed, that this promise was literally fulfilled, for Jacob 
was buried in the land of Canaan. 

(q) Gen. c. 46. v. 3 and 4. 

(r) There now went to Egypt, Jacob himself, and sixty- 
four sons and grandsons, together with one daughter, Dinah, 
and one grand-daughter, Sarah; these sixty-seven persons,, 
added to Joseph and his two sons, who were already in Egypt^ 
make up the number exactly seventy. 

(s) Gen. c. 46. v. 34. 

(t) Gen. c. 49. v. 8, &c. 



114 Old Testament History abridged, [part 1. 
same uniform kindness, which they had experi- 
enced from him during the life of their father. 

« He died there at the age of one hundred 

^* and ten years, having immediately before 

his death, solemnly assured his brethren of his 

faith in the promises of God ( u) : " I die : and God 

will surely visit you, and bring you out of this 

land, unto the land which he sware to Abraham, 

to Isaac, and to Jacob ; and ye shall carry up my 

bones from hence (x)" «^-JL^, 

The descendants of Jacob multiplied to so great 

a degree, that, about sixty years after the 

^'^' death of Joseph, the king, who then reigned 
over Egypt, became jealous of their numbers, and 
endeavoured to check their increase, by imposing 
heavy tasks upon them, and by reducing them to 
a state of severe slavery. But finding that these 
attempts had not the proposed effect, he ordered 
their midwives to destroy all the male children of 
the Israelites at the time of tiieir birth. The mid- 
wives refused to obey these inhuman orders, and 
the Israelites continued to increase. Then the 
king commanded his people to cast into the river 
all the male children of the Israelites. And a 
woman of the tribe of Levi, whose name was 
Jochabed, and whose husband's name was 

"' * Amram, hid her son for three months ; but 
being unable to conceal him any longer, she put 
him in a basket, and laid it by the side of the 
river. Soon after, the king's daughter came down 
to bathe in the river, and having discovered the 
child, concluded that it was one of the Hebrew 
children, and had compassion upon him. The 
sister of the child, who had been watching at a 
distance to see what became of him, now coming 

up, 

(u) It has been supposed that Joseph repeated this promise 
of deliverance out of Egypt, with the same prophetic spirit, 
with which his fathers were endued. 

( x) Gen. c. 50. v. 24 and 25, 






chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 115 
up, offered to go and call one of the Hebrew wo- 
men, who might nurse the child for the king ? s 
daughter, and having received permission, she 
brought the mother of the child ; and Pharaoh's 
daughter said to her, " take this child away, and 
nurse him for me, and I will give thee thy 
wages (y)" Thus was the child committed to the 
care 01 nis own mother ; and when he was grown 
to a certain age, he was carried to Pharaoh's 
daughter, who called him Moses, and treated and 
educated him as her own son. Thus was the 
destined lawgiver of the Jews miraculously pre- 
served, and fitted by " all the learning of the 
Egyptians" for the character he was to assume, as 
far as depended upon human acquirements. 

Moses, being grown up to manhood, became 
acquainted with the circumstances of his birth, and 
with the sufferings of his brethren; and observing 
one day an Egyptian cruelly beating a 
Hebrew, he slew the Egyptian. When this °3 • 
"was known to Pharaoh, he sought to put Moses 
to death ; but he fled into the land of Midian, and 
married ^ipporah, the daughter of Jethro, the 
priest of that country, where, it appears, the wor- 
ship of God was still retained. While Moses lived 
in Midian, the king of Egypt died ; but the per- 
secution of the Israelites continuing under his 
successor, they prayed unto God, and God was 
pleased to have compassion upon them, according 
to his promise to their fathers. When Moses, 
about forty years after he first came into 
Midian, was keeping the flocks of Jethro 49 • 
near Mount Horeb, " the angel of the Lord ap- 
peared unto him in a flame of fire, out of the midst 
of a bush, and he looked, and behold the bush burn- 
ed with fire, and the bush was not consumed (z)" 
— " And God called to Moses out of the midst of 

i-. the 

(y) Ex. c. 2. v. 9. 
(z) Ex. c. 3. v. 2. 



Ii6 Old Testament History abridged, [part !, 
the bush/' and declared himself to be the God of 
his Father, and of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, in 
a manner peculiarly solemn. " And the Lord said, 
I have seen the affliction of my people, and I am 
come down to deliver them out of the hand of the 
Egyptians, and to bring them into the fruitful 
land of Canaan (a)." These words are remarkable, 
and seem to indicate, that God had not vouch- 
safed to hold any visible intercourse with the 
Israelites during their long residence in Egypt, 
from the death of Jacob to this period of their 
sufferings. And God declared it his purpose, to 
make Moses his instrument to deliver his people 
from bondage, and commanded him to communi- 
cate this his gracious design to the elders of Israel. 
He farther directed, that they should ask of Pha- 
raoh permission to go three days journey into the 
wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord their God, fore- 
telling at the same time, that Pharaoh would not 
at first grant this request ; but that after a variety 
of afflictions, which the Egyptians would suffer in 
consequence of his refusal, he would allow them to 
go. Moses, being " meek above all men," was at 
first unwilling to engage in this arduous business, 
and pleaded his unfitness for the employment, from 
the slowness of his speech, and want of authority 
to convince the people that he was sent to them 
by God. But God, though he expressed displea- 
sure at his reluctance and distrust, condescended 
to promise him his constant presence and imme- 
diate direction, and the assistance of his brother 
Aaron, whom he knew to excel in eloquence, as 
his " spokesman ;" and he also promised him the 
power of performing miracles, as a proof of his di- 
vine commission. To inspire him farther with con- 
fidence, God caused his rod to become a serpent, 
and the serpent again to become a rod : he then 
caused his hand to be " leprous as snow," and his 

hand 
(a) Ex. c. 3. v. 7 and 8. 



€ hap. in.] and History of the Jews continued. 117 
hand was " turned again as his other flesh." En- 
couraged by these assurances of support and suc- 
cess, and convinced by the wonders he saw, that 
it was indeed the God of his Fathers who thus 
appeared to fulfil the promise of restoring the Is- 
raelites to the land of Canaan at the time (b) 
which had been appointed 400 years before, Moses 
was at length persuaded to undertake the great 
work of delivering his countrymen. He set out 
for Egypt ; and in his way through the wilderness 
he met his brother Aaron, whom God had ordered 
to go thither, and told him " all the words of the 
Lord who had sent him, and all the signs which he 
had commanded him." 

When Moses and Aaron arrived in Goshen, they 
called an assembly of the Israelites, and Aaron in- 
formed them of the commands, and of the promises 
which Moses had received from God. And the 
people, hearing what the Lord had said to Moses, 
and seeing the miracles (c) which he was enabled 
to perform, believed, and worshipped God. Moses 
and Aaron then went to Pharaoh, and in the name 
of God required him to let the Israelites go into 
the wilderness, and sacrifice to the Lord their God. 
Pharaoh treated the message with contempt, and 
enjoined the task-masters to lay heavier burdens 
upon the Israelites ; and when they complained of 
the increased severity of their oppression, God 
commanded Moses to assure them, " that he would 
deliver them from the bondage of the Egyptians 
and give them the land of Canaan, as he had 
promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; that he 
would be their God, and that they should be his 

peculiar 

(b) Moses was great grandson to Levi, one of the sons of 
Jacob, who had removed into Egypt. God had promised, 
(Gen. c. 15. v. 16.) that the Israelites should return into 
Canaan in the fourth generation. 

(c) Moses and Aaron, the lawgiver and priest of his chosen 
people, appear to have been the first persons whom God em- 
puweredto perform miracles. 



li8 Old Testament History abridged, [part i, 
peculiar people : but they hearkened not unto 
Moses, for anguish of spirit and for cruel bond- 
age (d)" Moses and Aaron, by the direction of 
God, applied again unto Pharaoh ; and though they 
performed a miracle in his presence, yet he again 
refused to let the Israelites go. Then the country 
of Egypt was afflicted by a succession of plagues : 
the water of the river Nile was turned into blood ; 
frogs covered the whole land ; the dust of the earth 
was converted into lice ; an immense swarm of flies 
infested the whole land of Egypt; a murrain de- 
stroyed all the cattle ; boils and blains broke out 
upon the Egyptians, both upon man and beast ; the 
country was laid waste by a dreadful storm of thun- 
der, rain, and hail, so that the fire ran along upon 
the ground ; locusts destroyed every herb of the 
land, and all the fruit of the trees, which the hail 
had left ; and there was a thick darkness in the 
land of Egypt for three days. None of these plagues 
extended to the Israelites, or to the land of Go- 
shen, where they dwelt. While Pharaoh and his 
people were actually suffering under these several 
plagues, he appeared to relent, and to acknowledge 
the power of God. He entreated Moses to pray to 
God for deliverance from the plague, and promised 
to let the Israelites go and sacrifice. But when the 
plague was removed by the prayers of Moses, Pha- 
raoh constantly refused to fulfil his promise ; and 
though threatened with another plague, he still 
detained the Israelites under the same cruel slavery. 
At length Moses declared to Pharaoh, in the name 
of God, that if he would not let the Israelites go, 
all the first-born in the land of Egypt should be 
destroyed. Pharaoh not only persisted in his refu- 
sal, but threatened Moses with instant death, if he 
presumed to appear again before him. 

The execution of this last judgment, the de- 
struction of the first-born of the Egyptians, was 

attended 
(d) Ex. c. 6. v. 6, &c. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued, 119 
attended with greater solemnity than any of the pre- 
ceding. About four days before it took place, all 
the families of Israel were commanded to prepare 
for a feast to the Lord, and to kill a lamb, without 
spot or blemish, on a certain evening, and " to eat 
it in haste, with their loins girded, their shoes on 
their feet, and their staff in their hands ;" and to 
sprinkle the blood upon the lintel and side-posts of 
the doors of their houses. " And God said, the blood 
shall be to you for a token upon the houses where 
ye are ; and when I see the blood, I will pass over 
you, and the plague shall not be upon you, to de- 
stroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. — And 
this day shall be unto you for a memorial ; and ye 
shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your ge- 
nerations ; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance 
for ever (e)." — " And it shall come to pass, when ye 
be come to the land which the Lord will give you, 
according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep 
this service. And it shall come to pass when your 
children shall say, What mean ye by this service ? 
that ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's 
Passover, who passed over the houses of the chil- 
dren of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the houses 
of the Egyptians, and delivered our houses (f)" 
Thus did God institute the Feast of the Passover, 
and command that it should be kept every year by 
the Israelites, in memorial of his having passed 
over the houses of the Israelites when he destroyed 
the first-born of all the Egyptians. And the lamb 
sacrificed at this feast, is to be considered as ty- 
pical of the sacrifice of Christ, our great deliverer 
from more than Egyptian bondage. 

The children of Israel were also directed by 
Moses " to borrow (or, as it should have been 
translated, to ask) (g) of the Egyptians jewels of 

silver, 

(e) Ex. c. 12. v. 13 and 14. (f) Ex. c. 12. v. 25, &c. 

(g) Vide Shuckford, book 9. and Josephus, Ant. lib. 2. c. 14: 
and Whiston's note in loc. 



120 Old Testament History abridged, [parti. 

silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment. And the 
Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the 
Egyptians, so that they lent (or gave) unto them 
such things as they required ; and they spoiled the 
Egyptians (h)." The spoil which the Israelites 
were to carry away from the Egyptians may be 
considered as some compensation for their labour, 
and for the hardships they had suffered in their 
land, or as a tribute they received from a conquered 
nation; for, it should be remembered, they had 
an express command, to take this spoil with them, 
from the Sovereign of the Universe, whose autho- 
rity Pharaoh had so long disputed. 

At the time appointed, " it came to pass, that 
at midnight the Lord smote all the first-born of the 
land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that 
sat on his throne, unto the first-born of the cap- 
tive that was in the dungeon, and all the first- 
born of the cattle (i) ;" but not a single Israelite 
was destroyed. Pharaoh, terrified by this instance 
of divine vengeance, hastily sent for Moses and 
Aaron, and commanded that they and all the 

Israelites 



(h) Ex. c. 12. v. 35 and 36. Harmer's Observations upon 
the customs which have existed in the East from remote an- 
tiquity, and are still generally prevalent, respecting the giving, 
receiving, and asking fur presents, will throw great light upon 
this passage : " King Solomon, it is said, 1 Kings, c. 10. v. 13. 
gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever 
i/ie asked, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal 
bounty. This appears strange to us, but it is agreeable to 
modem eastern usages, which are allowed to have been de- 
rived from remote antiquity. . . The practice is very common 
to this day in the East ; it is not there looked upon as any de- 
gradation to dignity, or any mark of rapacious meanness." 
Obs. 203. vol. 4. — The gifts of the Egyptians, therefore, 
might be both an acknowledgment of superiority, and a mark 
of kindness ; but unless the enslaved Israelites had received 
an express command to ask for gifts, their situation must have 
precluded all ideas of friendly intercourse between them and the 
Egyptians. 

(i) Ex. c. 12. v. 29. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 1 2 1 
Israelites should immediately depart from Egypt. 
Accordingly the children of Israel, who were al- 
ready prepared, by the word of the Lord, for their 
departure, assembled, " and journeyed from Ra- 
meses to Succoth, about 600,000 on foot, that were 
men, besides children ( k) ; and a mixed multitude 
went up also with them, and flocks and herds, even 
very much cattle (I)" The children of Israel de- 
parted from Egypt 430 years after Abraham's first 
arrival in the land of Canaan, 215 of which were 
passed by him and his descendants in Canaan, and 
the other 215 in Egypt. 

God was pleased to direct the journey of the 
children of Israel through the wilderness of the 
Red Sea (m). " And the Lord went before them 
by day in a pillar of a cloud, and by night in a 
pillar of fire to give them light (n)" When Pha- 
raoh heard that the children of Israel had fled, he 
pursued them with his army, and overtook them 
the sixth day as they were encamped near the Red 
Sea. Alarmed at the appearance of danger, they 
murmured against Moses. Then Moses, by the 
command of God, stretched forth his hand to- 
wards the Red Sea, and the waters were divided, 
and a part of the sea became dry land: " The 
children of Israel went into the midst of the sea 
upon dry ground ; and the waters were a wall unto 
them on their right hand and on their left (0)," 
until they had all passed over. Pharaoh and his 
host pursued them into the sea, and when they 
were in the midst of it, Moses, by the command of 

God, 

(k) If we include women and children, the Israelites could 
not be less than 1,500,000, which was a vast increase from 
seventy persons in about 200 years. 

(I) Ex. c. 12. v. 37 and 38. 

(m) The Red Sea was so called, because it joined the land 
of Edom, or of Esau, which in Hebrew signifies red. 

(n) Ex. c. 13. v. 21. 

(0) Ex. c. 14. v. 22. 

G 



1^22 Old Testament History abridged, [part i, 
God, again stretched forth his hand, and the sea 
returned to its natural state, and drowned all the 
Egyptians. This miracle, although at the time it 
greatly impressed the minds of the Israelites, and 
caused them to join in a song of thanksgiving (p) 
to God for their deliverance, did not produce per- 
manent gratitude, or any settled confidence in the 
mercy of God (q). 

The land of the Philistines was the nearest way 
from Egypt to Canaan ; but it pleased God to 
conduct the Israelites through the wilderness (r) 
or desert of Arabia, which lay between the river 
Jordan, the mountains of Gilead, and the river Eu- 
phrates. Whenever the Israelites, in their passage 
through the wilderness, fell into any distress, or 
met with any difficulty, instead of trusting in God, 
whose goodness they had experienced in so signal 
a manner, they always murmured against Moses, 
who was the constant instrument of divine inter- 
position. But notwithstanding the impatience and 
repeated provocations of the Israelites, God did 
not withdraw from them his protection; but re- 
lieved their necessities upon every occasion. When 
they could not drink of the waters of Marah, on 
account of their bitterness, he enabled Moses to 

make 

(p) This is the most antient hymn now extant. 

(q) Had we been left ignorant of the corruption of human 
nature, the conduct of the Israelites, during the long course 
of their history, would have been inexplicable, if not incre- 
dible. 

(r) We are not to imagine that every part of the wilder- 
ness was uninhabited. As we mention the country in con- 
tradistinction to cities or chief towns, so the deserts and 
wildernesses seem to have been mentioned in antient times, 
We are told, l Sam. c. 25. that Nabal and his family dwelt 
in the wilderness of Paran. Different parts of the wilderness 
took their names from adjacent places. See Psalm 74- v - \4- 
Jeremiah, c. 9. v. 10. Joel, c. 1. v. 20. and thus the difficulty 
of understanding how the multitudes, which followed John the 
Baptist into the wilderness from the cities, could subsist, will 
immediately vanish. 



chae. in.] and History of the Jeivs continued, 123 
make them sweet (s) ; when they were in want 
of food, he sent them manna and quails from 
heaven (t) ; when they were in want of water, he 
enabled Moses to produce a spring from a hard 
rock (u) ; when they were attacked by the Amale- 
kites, he enabled Moses, by the holding up of his 
hands (x), to procure them a complete victory. 
Thus did God, by a continued course of miracles, 
conduct the Israelites into the wilderness of Sinai, 
in Arabia Petrsea, in the third month after they 
left Egypt. Jethro, who lived not far from this 
wilderness, brought thither to Moses his wife and 
his two sons ; and there Moses, by the advice of 
Jethro, appointed magistrates, with different de- 
grees of jurisdiction, to be judges in cases of 
dispute among the Israelites ; but the decision of 
all matters of difficulty and importance he reserved 
to himself. 

God now repeated his gracious assurance, that he 
would make the Israelites his peculiar people, 
if they would obey his voice, and keep his ^9 
covenant. And surely nothing can more strongly 
prove, that this people were set apart by God to 
carry on the gracious designs of his providence for 
more extensive salvation to the world, than the 
renewal of these promises to such a distrustful and 
stubborn generation. " And the Lord said unto 
Moses, Thus shall thou say to the house of Jacob, 
and tell the children of Israel : Ye have seen what 
I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on 
eagles wings, and brought you unto myself. Now, 
therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and 
keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar 

treasure 

(s) Ex. c. 15. v. 23. 

(t) Ex. c. 16. They were miraculously fed with manna 
from heaven during the whole time of their residence in the 
great wilderness of Sinai, even till they had tasted corn in. 
Canaan. 

(u) Ex. c. 17. v. I,&c. 

(x) Ex. c. 17. v. 11. 

G 2 



124 Old Testament History abridged, [part r. 
treasure unto me above all people ; for all the earth 
is mine. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of 
priests, and an holy nation. These are the words 
which thou shalt speak unto the children of 
Israel (y)" And when Moses had assembled the 
people, and delivered this gracious message from 
the Almighty, " All the people answered together, 
and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. 
And Moses returned the words of the people unto 
the Lord. And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo ! I 
come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people 
may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee 
for ever .... Go unto the people, and sanctify 
them to-day and to-morrow, and be ready against 
the third day; for the third day the Lord will 
come down in the sight of all the people, upon 
Mount Sinai. And thou shalt set bounds unto the 
people round about, saying, Take heed to your- 
selves that ye go not up into the Mount, or touch 
the border of it : whosoever toucheth the Mount 
shall be surely put to death." And on the third 
day " there were thunders and lightnings, and a 
thick cloud upon the Mount, and the voice of the 
trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people 
who were in the camp trembled. And Mount 
Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the 
Lord descended upon it in fire, and the whole 
Mount quaked greatly. And the Lord spake unto 
them out of the midst of the fire ; they heard the 
voice of words, but they saw no similitude, only 
they heard a voice. And he declared unto them 
his covenant, which he commanded them to per- 
form, even ten commandments." And when the 
people saw these " terrors of the Lord," " they 
removed and stood afar off, and said unto Moses, 
Speak thou with us, and we will hear : but let not 
-God speak with us" again, " lest we die (z)." 

Moses 

(y) Ex. c. 19. v. 3, &c. 
(z) Ex. c. 19 and 20. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 125 
Moses and Aaron had been permitted to go up 
into the Mount, before the day of this most awful 
appearance of the divine glory; but they were 
sent down to the people before the voice of God 
uttered the law, which was afterwards " written 
by the finger of God upon tables of stone (a)" 
and given to Moses, when he was called within 
the cloud, which rested upon Mount Sinai, "to 
receive the statutes and the judgments/' which he 
was commanded to teach the people. 

It is to be observed that the laws, which extend 
from the 20th to the 24th chapter of Exodus, 
laws which, from their nature, must be considered 
as of general obligation, appear to have been 
given to Moses in the presence of all the people ; 
for after their request that God would not again 
speak to them himself, it is said, " And the people 
stood afar off, and Moses drew near to the thick 
darkness where God was ; and the Lord said unto 
Moses, thus thou shalt say to the children of Israel, 
ye have seen that I have talked with you from 
Heaven (b) :" and then follows a number of sta- 
tutes, and ordinances, and promises, and condi- 
tions, concluding with a command for Moses and 
Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the 
elders of Israel, to come up towards the Mount 
to worship God, as the representatives of the 
people, who stood at a distance ; but they were 
ordered ' • to keep afar off " from the glory of the 
Lord, excepting Moses, who was alone allowed to 
" approach near the Lord;" and the history of 
this solemn covenant then continues thus : " And 

Moses 

(a) When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, and found 
Aaron and the people of Israel defiling themselves with all the 
abominations of idolatry, in a fit of wrath he broke these tables 
of stone ; but the ten commandments were afterwards written 
upon two other tables of stone, by the express direction of God ? 
in the same manner as before. 

(b) Ex. c. 20. v. 21 and 22. 

^3 



1 26 Old Testament History abridged, [parti. 

Moses came and told the people all the words of 
the Lord, and all his judgments ; and all the 
people answered with one voice, and said, All the 
words which the Lord hath said, will we do. And 
Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose 
up early in the morning, and builded an altar 
under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the 
twelve tribes of Israel." And having offered sacri- 
fices, " Moses took half of the blood, and put it 
into basons, and half of the blood, he sprinkled on 
the altar ; and he took the book of the covenant, 
and read in the audience of the people ; and they 
said, All that the Lord hath said, will we do, and 
be obedient. And Moses* took the blood, and 
sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the 
blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made 
with you concerning all these words." Then went 
up Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and 
seventy elders of Israel, probably within " the 
borders," or a little way up the Mount, u and saw 
the glory of the God of Israel" appearing with a 
peculiar radiance, in confirmation of this solemn 
covenant. And afterwards, " the Lord said unto 
Moses, Come up to me into the Mount, and be 
there ; and I will give thee tables of stone, and a 
law, and commandments, which I have written, 
that thou mayest teach them." Then Moses, 
after giving directions to the elders of the people 
for their conduct in his absence, " went up into 
the Mount, and a cloud covered the Mount : and 
the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, 
and the cloud covered it six days, and the seventh 
day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the 
cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord 
was like devouring fire on the top of the Mount, 
in the eyes of all Israel. And Moses went into 
the midst of the cloud, and was in the Mount, 
forty days and forty nights (c) ;" and there God 

delivered 
(c) Ex. c. 24, &c. Deut. c. 4, &c» 



€ h a p . in.] and History of the Jews continued. 127 
delivered to him those commandments, statutes, 
and ordinances, which are generally called the 
Law of Moses, or the Mosaic Dispensation. And 
it pleased God to distinguish Moses, after having 
been thus highly honoured by admission into the 
divine presence, by a kind of divine light which 
beamed from his countenance (d). And thus were 
the people constantly reminded that their Law- 
giver was invested with divine authority (e). 

The laws thus delivered by God himself, with 
all these solemn preparations, and in a manner so 
peculiarly calculated to impress awe, and excite 
obedience, were of three sorts, moral, ceremonial, 
and civil. The moral law, which is comprised in 
the ten commandments, " written with the finger 
of God," and the law of nature, as it is called, 
are, in all essential points, the same. The heart 
of man being much depraved, and his under- 
standing darkened in consequence of the fall of 
Adam, God had been pleased to renew the im- 
pression of the general law of nature, from time 
to time, by occasional communications of his 
will ; and he now confirmed and explained it by 
an express Revelation, which he commanded to be 
recorded in writing, for the use of all future ages. 
This moral law, founded in the natural relation 
subsisting between God and man, being originally 
declared to Adam, either through the medium of 
his reason, or by some sensible impression upon his 
mind, or by the audible voice of God himself, 
is of universal and eternal obligation (f). The 

ceremonial 

(d) Ex. c. 34. 2 Cor. c. 3. v. 7. 13, &c. 

(e) When it is said, "And the Lord spake unto Moses 
face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend/' we are ta 
understand that God conversed with Moses, not in dreams 
and visions, as he did with other prophets, but in such a 
clear and plain manner as one person would converse with, 
another, 

'(f) We are to remember that the change, which sin pro- 
duced in the nature of man, weakened the faculties with 
jg 4 which 



128 Old Testament History abridged, [parti, 
ceremonial or positive law relates to the priests* 
the tabernacle, the sacrifices, and other religious 
rites and services. God commanded that those who 
should be employed about the tabernacle, or in the 
offices of public worship, should be of the posterity 
of Levi ; and hence this law is sometimes called 
the Levitical law ; but the priesthood itself was to 
be confined to Aaron and his descendants. The 
principal objects of the ceremonial law were, to 
preserve the Jews from idolatry, to which all the 
neighbouring nations were addicted, and to keep 
up in their minds the necessity of an atonement 
for sin. The civil law relates to the civil govern- 
ment of the Israelites, to punishments, marriages, 
estates, and possessions. The ceremonial and civil 
laws are intermixed with each other, and being 
adapted to the particular purpose of separating 
from the rest of the world one nation, among 
whom the knowledge of the true God, and the 
promise of a Redeemer, might be preserved, were 

designed 

which he was originally created, and obscured the light of 
reason. We may conceive that perfect reason would direct 
man to right conclusions concerning the nature of God and 
of man, and the duties which he owes to God and to his fellow- 
creatures. Still, while man, as a free agent, had, as neces- 
sarily belonging to that character, the power of opposing the 
suggestions of will to the deductions of reason, his state of 
happiness must have been insecure. Whether we consider 
the knowledge of this moral law as derived from perfect 
human reason, or, which is the same thing under another name, 
from the original nature of man given him by his Creator, 
(and in this sense the moral law would be justly termed the 
Jaw of nature) or whether we suppose the knowledge of this 
law communicated by some impression upon the mind, some 
mode of divine inspiration, like that by which the prophets 
were enabled to distinguish clearly and positively the declara- 
tions of God from the dictates of their own reason, or by the 
audible voice of God himself, accompanied by some visible 
mark of the divine presence, the divine origin of this law is 
equally established, and its immutable truth is equally ap- 
parent, 



€ h a p . in.] and History of the Jews continued. 1 29 
designed for the sole use of the Israelites, and 
were to be binding upon them only till the coming 
of the Messiah. 

At this time God commanded Moses to make a 
tabernacle, or tent, for public worship, and gave 
him directions respecting its materials, dimensions, 
utensils, and every thing relative to it. In the 
tabernacle (g) was placed the ark, or chest, in 
which were deposited the two tables of stone," 
whence it is frequently called the Ark of the Co- 
venant. The lid of the ark was called the Mercy- 
seat, upon the ends of which were two cherubim, 
with expanded wings, in the attitude of worship. 
Upon the mercy-seat the Shechinah (h), or symbol 
of the divine presence, rested in the appearance of 
a luminous cloud, and thence the divine oracles 
were either audibly given, or communicated by 
the Urim and Thummim (i), as often as God, who 

condescended 

(g) Aaron's rod, which was indeed the testimony of his 
divine appointment to the priesthood, and an omer of manna, 
were also deposited in the tabernacle " to be kept for the 
generations of Israel." 

(h) Frequent mention is made in Scripture of the appear- 
ance of the Lord in the earliest ages of the world. To be 
" banished from his presence," to be excluded " from the light 
of his countenance," and many other expressions, seem evi- 
dently to allude to some appearance of the divine glory, either- 
occasional or stationary, upon earth, at fixed times, probably 
on the sabbaths, or at appointed places, whither men went to 
worship, and to " enquire of the Lord," in cases of doubt or 
distress. See Patrick's Commentary, Shuckford's Connexion, 
and Jennings's Jewish Antiquities. 

(i) Ex. c. 28. v. 30. Lev. c. 8. v. 8. Numb. c. 27. v. 21. 
The Urim and Thummim, which words signify light and 
perfection, are applied to a miraculous ornament worn on the 
breast of the high priest, and erroneously supposed by some 
to be descriptive of the twelve jewels in the breast-plate of the 
high priest, but which in reality meant something distinct 
from these : compare Exodus, c. 39. v. 10. with Lev. c. 8. 
v. 8. Some imagine that they were oracular figures that gave 
articulate answers ; others, that they implied only a plate of 
gold, engraven with the Tetragrammaton, or sacred name of 
g 5 Jehovah. 



130 Old Testament History abridged, [part i;- 
condescended to be their king and their judge, was 
consulted by the high priest. Thus God is said 
" to dwell between the cherubim." After the 
tabernacle was finished, Moses anointed Aaron to 
be high priest, and his sons to be priests, as the 
family selected for the priesthood ; and God was 
pleased to accept their first offerings with signal 
marks of approbation. The people were then 
numbered ; and having now been in the neigh- 
bourhood of Mount Sinai nearly a year, they 
marched thence, and proceeding through the wil- 
derness, they arrived in about three months, at 
Kadesh Barnea (k), not far from the south border 
of Canaan. During this march, the discontent 
and mutinies of the people occasioned great un- 
easiness to Moses, and rinding much difficulty in 
governing them, he applied to God for relief; 
and by the command of God, he chose seventy 
elders, who were immediately endowed with the 
holy Spirit, and began to prophesy. These seventy 
elders afterwards assisted Moses in the govern- 
ment of the Israelites ; and it is generally believed 
that this was the origin and foundation of the 
great national council of the Jews, called in future 
ages the Sanhedrim (I). 

From 

Jehovah. Whatever the ornament was, it enabled the high 
priest to collect divine instruction upon occasions of national 
importance, and even of private concern. Some conceive 
that the intelligence was furnished by an extraordinary pro- 
trusion or splendour of the different letters ; but others, with 
more reason, think that the Urim and Thummim only qualified 
the high priest to present himself in the holy place, to receive 
answers from the mercy-seat within the veil in the tabernacle 
and temple, and in the camp from some consecrated place, 
whence the divine voice might issue. Vide Prideaux's Con- 
nexion, part 1. book 3. Jennings's Antiq. b. 3. c. 9. Phil. Jud. 
lib. 2. Spencer's Urim and Thummim. — Gray. 

(k) The distance from Mount Sinai or Horeb to Kadesh 
Barnea, was only such as might have been performed in eleven 
days. 

"(I) Vide Home's Scripture Hist. b. 2. c. 5. 



pn a p . in.] and History of the Jews continued. 131 
. From Kadesh Barnea Moses sent twelve men, 
one of every tribe, " to search the land." They 
returned at the end of forty days, and reported 
that the land flowed with milk and honey ; and 
they produced pomegranates, figs, and grapes, as 
specimens of its fruit : but ten out of these twelve 
spies gave so formidable an account of its inhabit- 
ants, and of the strength of its cities, that the 
Israelites refused to undertake the conquest of it, 
and murmured not only against Moses and Aaron, 
but also against God himself. This ungrateful, dis- 
obedient, and distrustful conduct of the Israelites, 
brought upon them just, though heavy punish- 
ment. God commanded that they should turn back, 
and wander in the wilderness forty years, until all 
who were at that time above twenty years of age, 
being in number 603,550, were dead, except Joshua 
and Caleb. These men were two of the twelve 
who had been sent into Canaan, and having, in 
opposition to the other ten, given a faithful ac- 
count, and encouraged the Israelites to attempt 
its conquest, they were rewarded with the distin- 
guished honour and privilege of being permitted 
to go into the promised land, and to dwell there 
many years before they died. 

While the Israelites were in the sandy deserts of 
Kadesh, they murmured because they wanted 
water. Upon this occasion Moses and Aaron seem 
not only to have partaken of the general impa- 
tience and distrust, but to have endeavoured to 
give themselves honour in the eyes of the people^ 
by assuming in some degree, the power of granting 
them a supply : " And Moses took the rod from 
before the Lord, as he commanded him. And 
Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation toge- 
ther before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear 
now, ye rebels ! Must we fetch you water out of 
this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and 
with his rod he smote the rock twice." God had 
g 6 expressly 



132 Old Testament History abridged, [paht f; 
expressly commanded them to speak only unto the 
rock; and it appears as if the first attempt to per- 
form the miracle in their own manner had failed, 
as a striking mark of his displeasure, though he 
vouchsafed to allow the second to succeed. ?' And 
the water came out abundantly, and the congre- 
gation drank, and their beasts also. And the Lord 
spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed 
me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children 
of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congre- 
gation into the land which I have given them (m)" 
Thus were they punished for this complicated 
offence by a prohibition, which, while it was in a 
peculiar manner mortifying to them as leaders of 
the people, afforded an exemplary lesson to all 
Israel of the necessity of implicit obedience, of 
constant faith, and perfect humility, to secure the 
favour of God. 

The children of Israel were forty years in the 
wilderness ; but Moses has recorded the transac- 
tions of only three years, namely, the first two and 
the last. He has, however, in the thirty-third chap- 
ter of Numbers, mentioned all the places where 
they pitched their tents during the whole time they 
were in the wilderness. Their march was conduct- 
ed with the utmost regularity and order, accord- 
ing to the rules prescribed by God to Moses. A 
pillar of fire by night, and a pillar of cloud by day, 
directed their journey from Egypt to the land of 
Canaan. Whenever a cloud appeared upon the 
tabernacle they stopped, and remained stationary, 
whether it were for a single night, or for several 
years. When the cloud disappeared, and was suc- 
ceeded by fire, they put themselves in motion, 
and continued their march till the cloud appeared 
again upon the tabernacle. The Israelites were 
directed to ask permission to pass through those 

countries, 

(m) Numb. c. 20. v. 9, 10, 11 and 12. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 133: 
countries, which lay in their way to Canaan, of 
the several kings who reigned over them ; if grant- 
ed, they were to go through peaceably ; if refused, 
they were " to go up against" these their enemies, 
to conquer, and sometimes to destroy them, ac- 
cording to circumstances, of which God alone 
could be the judge : but " their brethren," the 
children of Edom, and the Moabites, and the Am- 
monites, the descendants of Lot, were not to be 
disturbed in their possessions, whatever provoca- 
tion they might give. After the Israelites had con- 
quered Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king 
of Bashan, who refused them a passage through 
their countries, the king of Moab was alarmed at 
their power, and sent for Balaam, a prophet, or 
diviner, as he is called, " to curse him this people 
in the name of the Lord," as the only defence 
against their power. Balaam was brother to Bela, 
the first king of Edom, and the son of Beor, the 
fourth in descent from Esau, and dwelt at Pethor, 
in Mesopotamia, the antient residence of the pa- 
triarchs ; and the land of Moab was near Edom, 
and the country of the Ishmaelites ; we cannot 
therefore be surprised to find the knowledge of 
God retained, and his worship still preserved, 
though probably not unadulterated by idolatry, in 
these countries ; for in these early ages the worship 
of God and the worship of idols, seem to have been 
often blended together. Balaam was commanded 
by God " to bless instead of curse " his people ; 
and he prophesied concerning their future great- 
ness,, and the coming of the Messiah (n). 

Aaron died on the first day of the fifth month, 
in the 40th year after the departure from Egypt. 
In the eleventh month of that year, Moses began 
to repeat to the Israelites the principal laws which 
he had before delivered ; and this was the more 

requisite, 

(n) Numb. c. 22, &C. 



134 0^ Testament History abridged, [part ft 
requisite, as many of the present Israelites were 
either not born, or were incapable of understand- 
ing the Law when it was first promulgated. After 
this summary repetition of the law, of the terms of 
the covenant, of the grounds of the promises, and 
of the miracles which they and their fathers had 
witnessed, from the time of their departure out of 
Egypt, Moses proceeded to set before the people 
the certain consequences of their obedience or 
disobedience to the commands of God ; and these 
prophetic denunciations of wrath, and promises of 
blessings, most accurately relate the history of this 
people from the time of Moses to the present hour, 
and point to their future restoration to the favour 
of God. Being informed by God of his approach- 
ing death, Moses deposited the Law, which he had 
written, in the tabernacle, by the side of the ark, 
under the care of the priests, and commanded that 
it should be publicly read every seventh year. By 
the command of God he appointed Joshua his suc- 
cessor, and wrote the inimitably beautiful hymn 
which was to " be taught to all Israel, to be a wit- 
ness against the children of Israel when the evils 
and troubles befel them, because they had broken 
the covenant of their God ;" and which contains a 
recapitulation of mercies, and a train of prophe- 
cies, some of which yet remain to be fulfilled. 
" And Moses spake the words of this song in the 
ears of all the congregation of Israel," and, ac- 
cording to the patriarchal custom already men- 
tioned, " Moses the man of God, blessed the 
children of Israel before his death." This solemn 
prophetic blessing of the tribes of Israel distinctly 
describes the character and fate of each, and con- 
cludes with an exulting assurance of the unfailing 
protection of their God, and the final salvation of 
all Israel. Moses was then permitted by God to 
take a view of the land of Canaan from the 
4^ * top of Mount Pisgah, and soon after died 

there, 



chap, in.] and HistGry of the Jews continued. 135 
there, at the age of 120 years, when " his eye was 
not dim, nor his natural force abated (0)" 

After the death of Moses, Joshua received a 
promise of support from God, and entered upon 
his important office ; and when the necessary pre- 
parations were made, he led the army of the Israel- 
ites to the banks of the river Jordan. The priests, 
by the express command of God, preceded with 
the ark of the covenant, and as soon as their feet 
touched the water, the current was stopped, the 
river became dry ground, and all the people passed 
through in safety, and entered the promised land 
opposite to the city of Jericho. 

The time which elapsed from the Israelites com- 
ing out of Egypt to their passage into Canaan was 
within five days of forty years (p). During this 
whole time the rite of circumcision had been omit- 
ted ; and therefore all the children, who had been 
born in the wilderness, were now circumcised at 
Gilgal. 

Four days after the arrival of the Israelites in 
Canaan, the Passover was kept, and the following 
day the manna ceased, and from that time they 
lived upon the produce of the country. 

The first attempt of Joshua was against Jericho, 
which, after a short siege, was taken in a miracu- 
lous manner : " The wall fell down flat, so that the 
people went up into the city, every man straight 
before him, and they took the city (q)" This 
manifest interposition of God encouraged Joshua 
to persevere in the great work in which he was en- 
gaged, established him in the confidence of the 
people of Israel, and excited terror in the nations^ 
who having filled up the measure of their iniqui- 
ties, were now to be destroyed by the mighty hand 
of God. Joshua then proceeded to make other 

conquests, 

(0) Deut. c. 34. v. 7. (p) Josh, c. 4. v. 19. 

(q) Josh. c. 6. v. 20. 



I36 Old Testament History abridged, [parti. 
conquests, and in seven years he subdued thirty- 
one kings belonging to the nations of the Ca- 
naanites, Hivites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, 
Jebusites, and Girgashites. It is to be observed, 
that these kings were only petty princes, or lords 
of cities, which had a few villages dependent upon 
them. In the course of this war, it pleased God 
to display his sovereign power over the universe in 
a most remarkable manner : " The sun stood still 
in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down 
about a whole day (r)" This signal miracle 
seems to have been particularly directed against 
the prevailing worship of " the host of heaven ;" 
and nothing surely could be more strikingly cal- 
culated to correct this idolatry, than to behold 
" the sun and the moon stand still at the command " 
of the general of the armies of " the God of 
i Israel," " the Lord of heaven and earth." 

After these conquests, there still remained a con- 
siderable part of the country unsubdued ; but when 
the tabernacle was set up in Shiloh, a city assigned 
to the tribe of Ephraim, to which Joshua belong- 
ed, as a sign of rest unto the people, Joshua 
44o- was commanded to divide the whole land 
among the Israelites by lot, both that part which 
was, and that which was not subdued, " according 
as the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses." 
Seven of the tribes had not then received their in- 
heritance. Joshua therefore " sent three men from 
each tribe to go through the land, and describe it 
into seven parts ;" and ordered them " to bring 
the description (s) to him, to cast lots for the tribes 
before the Lord." No allotment, except fortv- 
eight cities to dwell in, was made to the tribe of 
Levi, because they were appropriated to the ser- 
vices 
(r) Josh. c. 10. v. 13. 

( s) If this description were a chart or map, this people must 
have been farther advanced in knowledge, than they are usually 
supposed to have been. — Josh. c. 18. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 137 
vices of religion, and the tithes of the whole 
country were given them for a maintenance ; and 
the priests had also a part of the sacrifices : but the 
whole country was divided into twelve parts, as 
the descendants of Joseph were separated into two 
tribes, which from his two sons were called the 
tribe of Ephraim, and the tribe of Manasseh. The 
kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and of 
Og, king of Bashan, and the land of Gilead, all 
on the eastern side of Jordan, which had been 
given by Moses to the tribes of Reuben and Gad, 
and to half the tribe of Manasseh, upon conditions 
which they exactly fulfilled, were confirmed to 
them by Joshua. He divided the land on the west- 
ern side of the river between the other nine tribes 
and a half ; and Jerusalem, a city of the Jebusites, 
fell to the lot of the children of Judah (t). The 
twelve tribes went to take possession of their several 
allotments ; and the death of Joshua hap- ~ 

pened about eighteen years after this distri- 4 * 
bution of the land. 

No person was at first appointed to succeed 
Joshua in the general command and government 
of the Israelites; but acting in separate tribes, 
each having a head or governor, called in Scrip- 
ture " the princes of the people," they proceeded 
in the conquest of the remaining part of the coun- 
try, and were for a few years faithful in the ser- 
vice of God ; they then, in*6pposition to the divine 
commands delivered by Moses and Joshua, suffer- 
ed the antient inhabitants of Canaan to remain 
tributary among them, and were seduced to join 
them in the idolatrous worship of their false gods. 
Upon this provocation God gave them up into the : 
hands of Cushan, king of Mesopotamia, 
who reduced them to a state of subjection, ■ u ° 
in which they continued eight years. God was 

then 
(t) Josh. c. 15. v. 63. Judg. c, l. v. 8. 21. 



138 Old Testament History abridged, [parti. 
then pleased to listen to their earnest prayers ; and 
for the purpose of delivering them, he appointed 
Othniel ( u) to be their leader, who defeated 
4 5- Cushan, restored the Israelites to liberty, 
and established peace, with the enjoyment of pro- 
mised blessings, for forty years. Othniel was the 
first of those persons who governed Israel under 
the name of Judges. These judges were twelve in 
number, and their government continued rather 
more than 300 years (x). During this time the 
Israelites frequently provoked the anger of the Al- 
mighty, and being guilty of many heinous sins, 
especially idolatry, were often severely punished. 
Upon their relapses into wickedness, they were 
successively enslaved by Eglon, king of Moab, 
Jabin, king of Canaan, by the Midianites, by the 
Ammonites, and by the Philistines. In the time of 
Eli, the last judge but one, the ark of the Lord 
was taken by the Philistines, but was miraculously 
preserved from injury, and after seven months was 
brought back to the Israelites, who might have 
been taught the necessity of keeping the terms of 
the covenant by this temporary deprivation of 
" their glory." 

The judges do not appear to have succeeded 
each other in regular order. They were appoint- 
ed as the instruments of divine interposition upon 
great emergencies, and more particularly when 
the repentance and supplications of the Israelites 
induced God to relieve them from their suffer- 
ings (y). 

When 

(u) From the death of Joshua, to the appointment of Oth- 
niel, was probably about twenty-one years. — Judges, c. 3. 

(x) The different opinions concerning the chronology of these 
judges may be seen in Dufresnoy's Chronology. 

(y) It is to be remembered, that Moses had appointed judges 
to each tribe, who were called princes of the tribe, and " who 
sat in the gate," or place of justice, to judge the people. The 
judges here mentioned were in the place of Moses and Joshua, 
chief judges and generals. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jeivs continued. 139 
When Samuel, the prophet and judge of Israel, 
who succeeded Eli, was grown old, he appointed 
his sons to administer justice in his room; and 
upon their misconduct, the Israelites desired that, 
like other nations, they might have a king. The 
government of the Israelites, from their departure 
out of Egypt to the time of Samuel, was a Theo- 
cracy, that is, a government by God himself, who 
not only gave them general laws and regulations, 
but authorized them to apply to him in all cases 
of doubt and emergency. His " glory" resided, 
as it were, among them, and from time to time, 
as particular occasions required, he issued his de- 
crees, and signified his will, from the tabernacle. 
To desire, therefore, a king, was to reject this 
Theocracy, and to declare " that they would not 
have God to reign over them (z)" in that peculiar 
manner in which he had hitherto condescended to 
be their king. Samuel, by the command of God, 
expostulated with the Israelites, upbraided them 
with their ingratitude, and represented to them 
the evils which would follow the establishment of 
regal authority among them ; but they obstinately 
persevered in their request, and at length God was 
pleased to direct Samuel to anoint Saul, of 
the tribe of Benjamin, to be king of Israel. "^* 
He w T as accepted by the people, and reigned over 
them forty years : but because of his disobedience 
to the divine commands, God did not suffer the 
kingdom to remain in his family (a). Saul 
was succeeded by David, who had been °^' 
secretly anointed by Samuel, at the command of 
God, as the successor of Saul. He was of the tribe 
of Judah, and had greatly distinguished himself, in 
the reign of Saul, by his faith in God, by repeated 
instances of courage and magnanimity, and of 
obedience and loyalty to his sovereign, who, from 

a spirit 

(z) l Sam. c, 8. v. 7. (a) 1 Sam. c. 6, v, 7, 



I40 Old Testament History abridged, [paet L 
a spirit of jealousy, unjustly sought to take away 
his life. The friendship of David and Jonathan, 
the son of Saul, is justly celebrated as excelling all 
the pictures of friendship which we have received 
from pagan antiquity ; nor can the heathen poets 
furnish any thing equal to the piety, the beauty, 
and the sublimity of the hymns of the royal psalmist. 
David greatly extended the dominions of Israel, 
and kept the people faithful to their Law ; and 
though he was guilty of very heinous sins (for 
which he was severely punished) yet did his quick 
and deep contrition, and the general course of his 
life shew, " that his heart was right before God ;" 
God was therefore pleased to promise David, that 
he would " establish his house and the throne of his 
kingdom for ever (b) ;" which was a declaration 
that the Messiah was to be a descendant of David. 
When David drew near his death, after a reign of 
forty years, he caused his son Solomon to 
^' be anointed king, having been informed at 
the time when he proposed " to build a house for 
the ark of God," that Solomon was appointed to 
be his successor. 

Solomon, whose early piety, wisdom and humi- 
lity, rendered him the admiration of the world, 
having been thus chosen by God to succeed to the 
throne of David, and " to build him a house for 
the tabernacle of his glory/' began his reign with 
very distinguished marks of divine favour. By the 
command of God he built a temple at Jerusalem, 
for which David had only been permitted to 
collect materials, " because he had shed blood 
abundantly, and had made great wars (c)" This 
temple, which in riches and magnificence exceeded 
every other building upon earth, was built, after 
the model of the tabernacle, upon Mount Moriah, 
an eminence of Mount Sion, in seven years and a 

half; 

(b) 1 Sara. c. 7. v. 13 and 16, 
(cj 1 Chron, c. 22. v. 8, 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 141 

half; and after it had been consecrated with 
great solemnity, the ark of the covenant, 00 4° 
the autographs of the holy Scriptures, and the 
other sacred things belonging to the tabernacle, 
were removed into it. The reign of Solomon, " who 
passed all the kings of the earth for riches and wis- 
dom," was the most brilliant period of the Jewish 
history. " He reigned over all the kings from the 
river (Euphrates) even unto the land of the Phili- 
stines, and to the border of Egypt ( d) ; " yet, " for 
his peace he was beloved." Towards the close of life, 
however, Solomon tarnished the glory of his name, 
and " did evil in the sight of the Lord." — " For it 
came to pass when Solomon was old, that his wives 
turned away his heart after other gods : and his 
heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as 
was the heart of David his father (e)." It seems, 
indeed, as if his heart had been so far corrupted by 
a long series of luxurious prosperity, as to have led 
him to persist in the abominations of idolatry, not- 
withstanding the warning he had received; where- 
fore God declared, that "he would for this afflict the 
seed of David, but not for ever." Solomon was allow- 
ed to possess the " kingdom all the days of his life for 
his father David's sake;" but he was informed that 
God had appointed Jeroboam, his servant, to be king 
over ten of the tribes of Israel after his death (f) ; " 

and 

(d) 1 Kings, c. 4. v. 21. Gen. c. 15. v. 18. 

(e) 1 Kings, c. 11. v. 4. 

(f) God declared to Solomon, that he would give one tribe 
to his son Rehoboam, 1 Kings, c. 11. v. 13. By this might 
be meant one tribe besides the tribe of his own house, which 
God had promised to David " should be established for ever." 
Benjamin, " was the least of all the tribes of Israel," and 
it is generally supposed it had been an appendage to the 
tribe of Judah, or at least much mixed with it, from the time 
of the slaughter of the Benjamites, mentioned, Judges, c. 20. 
and that it was therefore included in the tribe of Judah, 
with which indeed it had been connected from the time of 
the distribution of the land, Joshua, c. 18. in this promise to 
Solomon. 



142 Old Testament History abridged, [parti. 
and he might justly fear, from the disposition of 
his son Rehoboam, that still greater punishment 
would follow : and thus were the latter days of 
this illustrious monarch, who reigned through a 
space of forty years, embittered by the prospect of 
calamities impending over his posterity, and by the 
sorrowful conviction derived from his own expe- 
rience, that " all is vanity and vexation of spirit," 
to those who " forsake the law of the Lord, and 
keep not the covenant of their God." 

The extreme folly of Rehoboam's conduct, upon 
his ascending the throne, induced ten of the 
9 '5' tribes to revolt immediately, and they chose 
Jeroboam for their king. Two tribes only, namely, 
those of Judah and Benjamin, remained faithful 
to Rehoboam. Thus two kingdoms were formed ; 
that under Jeroboam and his successors was called 
the kingdom of Israel ; and that under Rehoboam 
and his successors was called the kingdom of Judah. 
The capital of the latter was Jerusalem, which had 
been the seat of government since the eighth year 
of David's reign. The capital of the former was 
at first Shechem, then Tirzah, and afterwards 
Samaria, the principal city of the tribe of Ephraim, 
whence this kingdom is also sometimes called the 
kingdom of Samaria, and sometimes the kingdom 
of Ephraim. 

Jeroboam, fearing that the ten tribes, by going 
regularly to offer sacrifice at the temple of Jerusa- 
lem, might return to their allegiance to the house 
of David, set up, in opposition to the warning he 
had received from the prophet Ahijah, two golden 
calves, and erected altars at Dan and Bethel, the 
two extremities of his kingdom, and ordered that 
sacrifices should be offered at those places instead 
of Jerusalem ; and because the priests and Levites, 
leaving their respective .cities, situated within his 
dominions, had gone to reside at Jerusalem, he 
made priests from the lowest of the people. Many 

persons 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 143 
persons also, from every one of the ten tribes, who 
were desirous of worshipping God at Jerusalem, 
left Jeroboam, and settling in the kingdom of 
Judah, added considerably to its strength. Jero- 
boam was succeeded by his son Nadab ; and after 
he had reigned two years, he was killed by Baasha, 
who usurped the kingdom, and destroyed the 
whole race of Jeroboam, according to Ahijah's 
prophecy (g). But the kings of Judah were all 
descendants of Rehoboam, and consequently of 
David, as God had promised him: "When thy 
days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy 
fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which 
shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish 
his kingdom (h)" 

There were frequent wars between the kings of 
Judah and Israel, and between them and the 
neighbouring kings. The kings and people, both 
of Judah and Israel, soon fell into the grossest 
depravity. But though their idolatry and other 
wickedness called down the heavy displeasure of 
God in continual punishments, yet did he raise 
up among them in both kingdoms, a succession of 
prophets, who endeavoured to recal them to obe- 
dience, by reminding them of the many and dis- 
tinguished instances of divine favour which they 
had experienced, and by denouncing the fatal 
consequences which would inevitably follow a per- 
severance in sin. All these admonitions and 
threatenings, although enforced by the perform- 
ance of miracles, and accomplishment of predic- 
tions, were ineffectual. Signal deliverances awak- 
ened not gratitude, nor did remarkable punish- 
ments produce contrition. And, at length, God 
suffered Tiglath-Pileser, or Arbaces, king 
of Assvria, to carry away captive many of ?4 • 

the 

(g) 1 Kings, c. 15. v. 27. c. 14. v. 10. 
(h) 2 Sam. c. 7. v. 12. 



144 Old Testament History abridged, [part i. 
the subjects of the kingdom of Israel, who inhabit- 
ed the eastern side of the river Jordan, and part of 
Galilee ; and nineteen years after, upon repeated 
. provocations, it pleased God to permit Sal- 

' ' maneser, the son and successor of Tiglath- 
Pileser, by the capture of Samaria, in the reign of 
Hoshea, to put an end to the kingdom of Israel, 
about 250 years after its first establishment as a 
separate kingdom : " So the Lord removed Israel 
out of his sight, as he had said by his servants the 
prophets; there was none left but the tribe of 
Judah only (i)." Most of the people were carried 
away captive into Media: and almost all who 
* were then left were carried away, about 44 
' ' ' years after, by Esarhaddon, the grandson of 
Salmaneser, and king of Assyria : but it appears 
" that a remnant still remained in the land (k)" 
Esarhaddon sent colonies from several of his pro- 
vinces, but chiefly from Cuthan, to inhabit Sa- 
maria ; and these new inhabitants took the name 
of Samaritans, though they were frequently called 
Cuthaeans. Soon after their settlement in Samaria 
they were taught the worship of the true God ; 
but retaining also the worship of their false deities, 
their religion was for some years a mixture of Ju- 
daism and Heathenism. In process of time, how- 
ever, having many of the Israelites incorporated 
among them, and having built a temple ( L) upon 
Mount Gerizim, like to that at Jerusalem, they 
appear to have abandoned all idolatry, and to have 
worshipped only the God of Israel (m). 

Among 

(i) 2 Kings, c. 17. v. 18. 

(k) 2 Chron. c. 30. v. 6. c. 34. v. 9. 

(I) Dean Prideaux is of opinion, that this temple was built 
in the time of Darius Nothus, about the year 409 before Christ. 

(m) Josephus says, that the Samaritans called the Jews 
brethren while in prosperity, and denied the connection when 
in adversity. This implies that many Israelites were mixed 
with the Cuthaeans. 



€ H a p . 1 1 1 .] and History of the Jews continued. 1 45 
Among all the kings of Israel, from Jeroboam 
to Hoshea, there was not one entirely free from 
the sin of idolatry. It is said of all, that " they 
did evil in the sight of the Lord, and made Israel 
to sin," though on many occasions they sought 
the Lord in their distress, and he was pleased to 
deliver them from the hands of their enemies; 
and in particular, he distinguished Jehu, who exe- 
cuted his judgments upon the house of Ahab, and 
upon the priests of Baal, with peculiar marks of 
favour : " Because thou hast done this, thy chil- 
dren of the fourth generation shall sit on the 
throne of Israel (n)." But it was not so with 
the House of David, who sat upon the throne of 
Judah. Many of the kings of Judah were re- 
markable for their piety, and zeal for the honour 
of God, and obedience to his law ; but the nation 
in general gave themselves up to iniquity with but 
few and transient exceptions, although the ever- 
lasting goodness of God never failed to manifest 
his acceptance of their repentance, and readiness 
to hear their cry, whenever they " called upon him 
faithfully." But neither the calamities with which 
they were occasionally visited, nor the blessings 
with which they were frequently favoured ; nei- 
ther the covenant of their fathers, the miracles of 
their temple, nor the voice of their prophets ;. nei- 
ther the forbearance and long-suffering of their 
God, nor the signal example of divine vengeance, 
exhibited in the destruction of the kingdom of 
Israel, could prevail upon this perverse and rebel- 
lious people to " forsake the evil of their ways, 
and turn unto the Lord their God with a stedfast 
mind." — " And the Lord said, I will remove Judah 
also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel ; 
and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I 
have chosen, and the house of which I said, My 

name 
(n) 2 Kings, c. 10. v. 30. 

H 



146 Old Testament History abridged, [parti* 
name shall be there (0)" But " for his great name's 
sake, and for the sake of his servant David," 
God was pleased to fix a period for this first banish- 
ment of Judah from his presence : " For thus 
saith the Lord, that after seventy years be accom- 
plished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform 
my good word towards you, in causing you to return 
to this place (p)" Accordingly Nebuchadnezzar, 
king of Babylon, was permitted by God to invade 
Judaea in the reign of Jehoiakim, and to besiege 
and take Jerusalem. He put Jehoiakim in chains, 
to carry him to Babylon ; but upon his humbling 
himself, and engaging to be tributary to Nebu- 
chadnezzar, he was released, and restored to his 
kingdom. The children of the royal family, and 
many of the people, were, however, sent captives 
to Babylon ; and a great part of the treasures of 
the temple was also sent thither, with orders that 
they should be placed in the house of the god Bel. 
- P From this time, about 115 years after the de- 
struction of the kingdom of Israel, is to be 
dated the commencement of the Babylonian cap- 
tivity ; which, according to the prediction of Je- 
remiah the prophet, was to last seventy years. 
Jehoiakim continued faithful to Nebuchadnezzar 
three years ; he then rebelled against him, 
599' and in consequence, Judaea was invaded by 
an army of those nations which were subject to 
the king of Babylon, and Jehoiakim was slain. 
He was succeeded by his son Jehoiakin, commonly 
called Jeconias ; and about three months after 
the death of Jehoiakim, Nebuchadnezzar came in 
person to the siege of Jerusalem. Jeconias, being 
unable to defend the city, surrendered himself, with 
his mother and family, to Nebuchadnezzar, and was 

sent 

(0) 2 Kings, c. 23, v. 27. 
(p) Jer. c. 29. v. IO. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jeivs continued. 147 
sent to Babylon, where he was kept in prison & 
thirty-seven years. Nebuchadnezzar, having 59^»- 
made himself master of Jerusalem, sent the remain- 
ing treasures of the temple, and of the king's house, 
with great numbers of fcaptives, to Babylon. He 
made Mattaniah, the uncle of Jeconias, king of 
the people who remained in Judeea, and changed 
his name to Zedekiah. In the ninth year of his 
reign, Zedekiah revolted from Nebuchadnezzar, 
and Jerusalem was again besieged and taken, « fi 
after the siege had lasted about eighteen ^ 
months, during which the people had suffered 
severely 5 from famine and pestilence. Zedekiah 
escaped out of the city, but being pursued, was 
taken, and carried to Nebuchadnezzar, who, hav- 
ing caused his sons to be slain before his face, and 
his eyes to be put out, sent him in chains to Baby- 
lon, where he died in prison (q). By his being 
carried thither in a state of blindness, two remark- 
able prophecies were fulfilled, which appeared to 
contradict each other ; the one of Jeremiah, that 
Zedekiah should be carried to Babylon (r) ; the 
other of Ezekiel, that Zedekiah should not see 
Babylon (s). The walls of Jerusalem were broken 
down by the command of Nebuchadnezzar; the 
temple and all the buildings were destroyed by 
fire ; and this famous city became a heap of ruins, 
and nearly the whole nation was sent captive to 
Babylon. Gedaliah was made governor over the 
few people that were left ; and many of those 
who had fled during the siege of Jerusalem into 
the neighbouring countries, returned soon after, 
and were encouraged by Gedaliah to establish 
themselves in Judaea, upon condition of paying 

tribute 

(g) Zedekiah was the twenty-first king of the race of 
David. 

(r) Jer. c. 32. v, 5. c. 34. v. 3. 
(s) Ezek. c. 12. v. 13. 

H 2 



148 Old Testament History abridged, [parti, 
tribute to the king of Babylon (t). The kindness 
and liberality with which Gedaliah treated these 
poor people, induced some of their rulers to con- 
fess that Ismael, one of their brethren, and of the 
royal family, had determined to murder Gedaliah 
at the desire of the king of the Ammonites ; and 
they offered to kill Ismael privately, if they re- 
ceived his permission. Gedaliah would not listen 
to this proposal, nor did he believe the accusation, 
and was soon after murdered by Ismael at a feast, 
to which he had purposely invited him. Upon 
this occasion most of the people, fearing that the 
king of Babylon would avenge the death of Geda- 
liah, went and settled in Egypt, contrary to the 
express advice of Jeremiah, wno declared, upon 
divine authority, that they might remain with 
safety in Judaea, but would suffer the punishments 
they had seen inflicted upon their brethren, if they 
fled for protection to Egypt, which was soon to be 
conquered by the king of Babylon. Accordingly, 
about four years after the destruction of Jerusalem, 
Kebuchadnezzar, having possessed himself of Ccele- 
Syria, and reduced the Ammonites and Moabites 
under subjection, went against Egypt, slew the 
king (u), and subdued the kingdom. Many of the 
Jews, who had taken refuge there, were put to 
death; a small remnant only returned to Judaea, 
and, as no new inhabitants w T ere sent thither by 
the king of Babylon, as there had been by the 
king of Assyria into Samaria, after the captivity 
of the ten tribes of Israel, " the land lay desolate " 
for the allotted time. 

When the kingdom of Judah had been seventy 
years in captivity, and the period of their afflic- 
tion 

(t) It appears, that many of the ten tribes, as well as the 
people of Judah, returned now, and afterwards, and were 
gradually incorporated under the same government. 

(u) Pharaoh-Hophra, orApries, 



£ h a p . l i i .] and History of the Jews continued. 1 49 
tion was completed, Cyrus, under whom were ~ 
united the kingdoms of Persia, Media, and ^ 
Babylon, issued a decree, permitting all the Jews 
to return to their own land, and to rebuild their 
temple at Jerusalem. This decree had been express- 
ly foretold by the prophet Isaiah (v), who called 
upon Cyrus by name, above a hundred years be- 
fore his birth, as the deliverer of God's chosen 
people from their predicted captivity. Though the 
decree issued by Cyrus was general, a part only 
of the nation took advantage of it. The number 
of persons who returned at this time was 42,360, 
and 7,337 servants. They were conducted by 
Zerubbabel and Joshua. Zerubbabel, frequently 
called in Scripture Shashbazzar, was the grand- 
son of Jeconias, and consequently descended from 
David. He was called " the prince of Judah," 
and was appointed their governor by Cyrus, and 
with his permission carried back a part of the 
gold and silver vessels, which Nebuchadnezzar had 
taken out of the temple of Jerusalem. The rest 
of the treasures of the temple were carried thither 
afterwards by Ezra. Joshua was the son of Josedec 
the high priest, and grandson to Seraiah, who 
was high priest when the temple was destroyed. 
Darius, the successor of Cyrus, confirmed this de- 
cree, and favoured the re-establishment of the 
people. But it was in the reign of Artaxerxes 
Longimanus, called in Scripture Ahasuerus, that 
Ezra obtained his commission, and was made go- 
vernor of the Jews in their own land (x), which 
government he held thirteen years ; then Nehe- 
miah was appointed with fresh powers, probably 
through the interest of queen Esther ; and Ezra 
applied himself solely to correcting the canon of 

the 

(v) Isaiah, c. 44. v. 28. c. 45- v. 1. 

(x) About 1,500 Jews returned from Babylon with Ezra, 
and great numbers now returned from the neighbouring 
»ations. 

B3 



150 Old Testament History abridged, [parti. 
the Scriptures, and restoring and providing for the 
continuance of the worship of God in its original 
purity. 

The first care of the Jews, after their arrival in 
Judaea, was to build an altar for burnt-offerings 
to God ; they then collected materials for re- 
building the temple, and all necessary preparations 
being made, in the beginning of the second year 
after their return under Zerubbabel, they began 
to build it upon the old foundations. The Sama- 
ritans, affirming that they worshipped the God of 
Israel, offered to assist the Jews ; but their assist- 
ance being refused, they did all in their power to 
impede the work, and hence originated that en- 
mity which ever after subsisted between the Jews 
and Samaritans. The temple, after a variety of 
obstructions and delays, was finished and dedi- 
cated, in the seventh year of king Darius, 
^' and twenty years after it was begun. Though 
this second temple, or as it is sometimes called, the 
temple of Zerubbabel, who was at this time gover- 
nor of the Jews, was of the same size and dimen- 
sions as the first, or Solomon's temple, yet it was 
very inferior to it in splendour and magnificence ; 
and the ark of the covenant, the Shechinah, the 
holy fire upon the altar, the urim and thummim, 
and the spirit of prophecy, were all wanting to this 
temple of the remnant of the people. At the 
feast of the dedication offerings were made for the 
twelve tribes of Israel, which seems to indicate 
that some of all the tribes returned from captivity ; 
but by far the greater number were of the tribe of 
Judah, and therefore from this period the Israelites 
were generally called Judaei or Jews, and the^c 
country Judsea. Many, at their own desire, re- 
mained in those provinces where they had been 
placed by the kings of Assyria and Babylon. The 
settlement of the people, " after their old estate," 
according to the word of the Lord, together with 

the 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 151 
the arrangement of all civil and ecclesiastical 
matters, and the building of the walls of Jerusa- 
lem, were completed by Ezra and Nehemiah (y). 
But we soon after find Malachi, the last of the 
prophets under the Old Testament (z) 9 reproving 
both priests and people very severely, not for 
idolatry, but for their scandalous lives and gross 
corruptions. 

The Scripture history ends at this period, and 
we must have recourse to uninspired writings, 
principally to the books of the Maccabees 43 ♦ 
and to Josephus, for the remaining particulars of 
the Jewish history, to the destruction of Jerusalem 
by the Romans (a). 

Judaea continued subject to the kings of Persia 
about two hundred years, but it does not appear 
that it had a separate governor after Nehemiah. 
From his time it was included in the jurisdiction 
of the governor of Syria, and under him the high 
priest had the chief authority. When Alexander 
the Great was preparing to besiege Tyre, he sent 
to Jaddua, the high priest at Jerusalem, to supply 
him with that quantity of provisions which he was 
accustomed to send to Persia. Jaddua refused, 
upon the ground of his oath of fidelity to the 
king of Persia. This refusal irritated Alex- y«? * 
ander ; and when he had taken Tyre, he marched 
towards Jerusalem to revenge himself upon the 

Jews. 

(y) Menasseh, a priest, the brother of Jaddua, the high 
priest of Jerusalem, who had married the daughter of Sanballat, 
the governor of Samaria, was banished by Nehemiah, and went 
to Samaria, with a number of other refractory Jews, and was 
made high priest of the temple on Mount Gerizim. 

(z) The cessation of prophecy had been previously threat- 
ened as a token of the displeasure of God ; and we may 
presume, that it was designed also to increase their desire and 
expectation of the appearance of the Messiah at the appointed 
time. 

(a) The history, contained in the apochryphal books, ends 
about 135 years before Christ, according to Dr. Blair. 
H 4 



152 Old Testament History abridged, [part », 
Jews. Jaddua had notice of his approach, and 
by the direction of God went out of the city to 
meet him, dressed in his pontifical robes, and at- 
tended by the Levites in white garments. Alex- 
ander, visibly struck with this solemn appearance, 
immediately laid aside his hostile intentions, ad- 
vanced towards the high priest, embraced him, 
and paid adoration to the name of God, which 
was inscribed upon the frontlet of his mitre : he 
afterwards went into the city with the high priest, 
-and offered sacrifices in the temple to the God of 
the Jews. This sudden change in the disposition 
of Alexander excited no small astonishment among 
his followers ; and when his favourite Parmenio 
enquired of him the cause, he answered, that it was 
occasioned by the recollection of a remarkable 
dream he had in Macedonia, in which a person, 
dressed precisely like the Jewish high priest, had 
encouraged him to undertake the conquest of 
Persia, and had promised him success ; he therefore 
adored the name of that God by whose direction 
he believed he acted, and shewed kindness to his 
people. It is also said, that while he was at Jeru- 
salem the prophecies of Daniel were pointed out to 
him, which foretold that " the king of Grecia (b) " 
should conquer Persia. Before he left Jerusalem 
he granted the Jews the same free enjoyment of 
their laws and their religion, and exemption from 
tribute every sabbatical year, which they had been 
allowed by the kings of Persia ; and when he built 
Alexandria, he placed a great number of Jews 
there, and granted them many favours and immu- 
nities. Whether any Jews settled in Europe, so 
early as while the nation was subject to the Ma- 
cedonian empire, is not known, but it is believed 
that they began to hellenize about this time. The 
Greek tongue became more common among them, 

and 
(b) Dan. c. 8. v. 20, &c. 



chap. Hi. ] and History of the Jews continued. 153 

and Grecian manners and opinions were soon in- 
troduced. 

At the death of Alexander, in the division of 
his empire among his generals, Judeea fell to 
the share of Laomedon (c)> But Ptolemy **"3« 
Soter, son of Lagus, king of Egypt, soon after 
made himself master of it by a stratagem : he en- 
tered Jerusalem on a sabbath day, under pretence 
of offering sacrifice, and took possession of the city 
without resistance from the Jews, who did not on 
this occasion dare to transgress their law by fighting 
on a sabbath day. Ptolemy carried many thou- 
sands captive into Egypt, both Jews and Samari- 
tans, and settled them there ; he afterwards treated 
them with kindness, on account of their acknow- 
ledged fidelity to their engagements, particularly 
in their conduct towards Darius, king of Persia ; 
and he granted them equal privileges with the 
Macedonians themselves, at Alexandria. Ptolemy 
Philadelphus is said to have given the Jews, who 
were captives in Egypt, their liberty, to the num- 
ber of 120,000. He commanded the Jewish Scrip- 
tures to be translated into the Greek language, 
which translation is called the Septuagint, from 
the number of persons said to have been employed 
in the work. After the Jewish nation had been 
tributary to the kings of Egypt for about an hun- 
dred years, it became subject to the kings of Syria. 
They divided the land, which now began to be 
called Palestine, into five provinces, three of which 

were 

(c) Laomedon, one of Alexander's captains, had Syria, 
Phoenicia, and Juda?a, assigned to him in the first partition, 
after the death of Alexander ; but Ptolemy Soter very soon 
took possession of these territories. As both Laomedon and 
Antigonus continued masters of those countries, which were 
allotted to them, only a short time, the Macedonian empire 
is generally considered as divided into four parts, the Mace- 
donian, the Asiatic, the Syrian, and Egyptian, of which 
Cassander, Lysimachus, Seleucus, and Ptolemy Soter, were 
respectively kings, 

H5 



154 Old Testament History abridged, [part U 
were on the west side of the Jordan, namely, Ga- 
lilee, Samaria, and Judsea ( d), and two on the east 
side, namely, Trachonitis and Pereea: but they 
suffered them to be governed by their own laws, 
under the high priest and council of the nation. 
Seleucus Nicanor gave them the right of citizens 
in the cities which he built in Asia Minor and 
Ccele-Syria, and even in Antioch his capital, with 
privileges which they continued to enjoy under the 
Romans. Antiochus the Great granted consider- 
able favours and immunities to the city of Jerusa- 
lem; and to secure Lydia and Phrygia, he esta- 
blished colonies of Jews in those provinces. In 
the series of wars which took place between the 
kings of Syria and Egypt, Judaea, being situated 
between those two countries, was, in a greater or 
less degree, affected by all the revolutions which 
they experienced, and was frequently the scene of 
bloody and destructive battles. The evils, to which 
the Jews were exposed from these foreign powers, 
were considerably aggravated by the corruption 
and misconduct of their own high priests, and 
other persons of distinction among them. To this 
corruption and misconduct, and to the increasing 
wickedness of the people, their sufferings ought 
indeed to be attributed, according to the express 
declarations of God by the mouth of his prophets. 
It is certain that about this time a considerable 
part of the nation was become much attached to 
Grecian manners and customs, though they con- 
tinued perfectly free from the sin of idolatry. Near 
Jerusalem, places were appropriated to gymnastic 
exercises ; and the people were led by Jason, who 
had obtained the high priesthood from Antiochus 
Epiphanes by the most dishonourable means, to 
neglect the temple worship, and the observance of 

the 

(d) But the whole country was frequently called Judaea 
after this time. 



c h a p . 1 1 1 . j and History of the Jews continued. 1 55 
the Law, in a far greater degree than at any period 
since their return from the captivity. It pleased 
God to punish them for this defection, by the 
hand of the very person whom they particularly 
sought to please. Antiochus Epiphanes, irritated 
at having been prevented by the Jews from enter- 
ing the holy place when he visited the temple, 
soon after made a popular commotion the 
pretence for the exercise of tyranny ; he took ' ' 
the city, plundered the temple, and slew or en- 
slaved great numbers of the inhabitants, with every 
circumstance of profanation and of cruelty which 
can be conceived. For three years and a half, the 
time predicted by Daniel ( e), " the daily sacrifice 
was taken away," the temple defiled, and partly 
destroyed, the observance of the law prohibited 
under the most severe penalties, every copy burnt 
which the agents of the tyrant could procure, and 
the people required to sacrifice to idols, under 
pain of the most agonizing death. Numerous as 
were the apostates, (for the previous corruption of 
manners had but ill prepared the nation for such 
a trial) a remnant continued faithful ; and the com- 
plicated miseries, which the people endured under 
this cruel yoke, excited a general impatience. At 
length the moment of deliverance arrived ; « 
Mattathias, a priest, eminent for his piety ' * 
and resolution, and the father of five sons, equally 
zealous for their religion, encouraged the people, 
by his example and exhortations, " to stand up for 
the Law ;". and having soon collected an army of 
six thousand men, he eagerly undertook to free 
Judeea from the oppression and persecution of the 
Syrians, and to restore the worship of the God of 
Israel : but being very old when he engaged in 
this important and arduous work, he did not live 
to see its completion. At his death his son, Judas 

Maccabeeus, 
(e) Vide Prideaux, part 2. book 3. 
h6 



1 56 Old Testament History abridged, [par? U 

„„ Maccabseus, succeeded to the command of 
the army ; and having defeated the Syrians 
in several engagements, he drove them out of 
~ Judasa, and established his own authority in 
9' the country. His first care was to repair 
and purify the temple for the restoration of divine 
worship; and to preserve the memory of this 
event, the Jews ordained a feast of eight days, 
called the feast of the dedication, to be yearly 
observed. Judas Maccabseus was slain in battle, 
and his brother Jonathan succeeded him in the 
government. He was also made high priest, and 
from that time the Maccabsean princes continued 
to be high priests. Judas Maccabaeus and his 
brothers were so successful, by their valour and 
conduct, in asserting the liberty of their country, 
that in a few years, they not only recovered its in- 
dependence, but regained almost all the possessions 
of the twelve tribes, destroying at the same time 
the temple on Mount Gerizim, in Samaria. But 
they and their successors were almost always en- 
gaged in wars, in which, though generally victo- 
rious, they were sometimes defeated, and their 
country for a short time oppressed. Aristo- 
' " bulus was the first of the Maccabees who 
assumed the name of king. About forty-two years 
after, a contest arising between the two brothers, 
Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, the sons of Alexander 
~ Jaddaeus, relative to the succession of the 
°' crown, both parties applied to the Romans 
for their support and assistance. Scaurus, the 
Roman general, suffered himself to be bribed by 
Aristobulus, and placed him on the throne. Not 
P long after, Pompey returned from the East 
P' into Syria, and both the brothers applied to 
him for his protection, and pleaded their cause be- 
fore him. Pompey considered this as a favourable 
opportunity for reducing Palestine under the power 
of the Romans, to which the neighbouring nations 

had 



CHAP, in.] and History of the Jews contin ued. i 57 
had already submitted ; and therefore, without de- 
ciding the point in dispute between the two bro- 
thers, he marched his army into Judeea, and after 
some pretended negotiation with Aristobulus and 
his party, besieged and took possession of Jerusa- 
lem. He appointed Hyrcanus high priest, but 
would not allow him to take the title of king ; he 
gave him, however, the specious name of prince, 
with very limited authority. Pompey did not take 
away the holy utensils or treasures of the 
temple, but he made Judeea subject and tri- °^' 
butary to the Romans ; and Crassus, about nine 
years after, plundered the temple of every thing 
valuable belonging to it. Julius Csesar confirmed 
Hyrcanus in the pontificate, and granted fresh pri- 
vileges to the Jews ; but about four years after the 
death of Julius Csesar, Antigonus the son of Aristo- 
bulus, with the assistance of the Parthians, 
while the empire of Rome was in an unsettled ^ 
state, deposed his uncle Hyrcanus, seized the 
government, and assumed the title of king. 

Herod, by birth an Idumsean (f), but of the 
Jewish religion, whose father Antipater, as well as 
himself, had enjoyed considerable posts of honour 
and trust under Hyrcanus (g), immediately 
set out for Rome, and prevailed upon the se- 4 
nate, through the interest of Anthony and Augustus, 
to appoint him king of Judeea. Armed with this 
authority, he returned, and began hostilities 
against Antigonus. About three years after, "' * 
he took Jerusalem, and put an end to the govern- 
ment of the Maccabees or Asmonseans ( h), after 

it 

(f) The Idumseans were a branch of the antient Edomites, 
and were converted to the Jewish religion about a hundred 
and twenty-nine y%ars before Christ. V 7 ide Lardner, vol. l. 
p. 12. 

(g) Lardner says, under the government of Alexander 
Jannaeus and Alexandra' also. 

(h) So called from Asmonseus, one of their ancestors. 



158 Old Testament History abridged, [part i. 
it had lasted nearly a hundred and thirty years. 
Antigonus was sent prisoner to Rome, and was 
there put to death by Anthony. Herod married 
Mariamne, who lived to be the only representative 
of the Asmonsean family (i), and afterwards caused 
her to be publicly executed, from motives of un- 
founded jealousy. Herod considerably enlarged 
the kingdom of Judsea, but it continued tributary 
to the Romans : he greatly depressed the civil 
power of the high priesthood, and changed it, from 
being hereditary and for life, to an office granted 
and held at the pleasure of the monarch ; and this 
sacred office was now often given to those who 
paid the highest price for it, without any regard 
to merit ; he was an inexorably cruel tyrant to his 
people, and even to his children, three of whom 
he put to death ; a slave to his passions, and in- 
different by what means he gratified his ambition ; 
to preserve the Jews in subjection, and to erect 
a lasting monument to his own name, he repaired 
the temple of Jerusalem (k) at a vast expence, and 
added greatly to its magnificence. 

At this time there was a confident expectation 
of the Messiah among the Jews ; and indeed a 
general idea prevailed among the heathen (I) also, 
that some extraordinary conqueror or deliverer 
would soon appear in Judaea. In the thirty-sixth 
year of the reign of Herod, while Augustus was 
emperor of Rome, the Saviour of Mankind 
4* was born of the Virgin Marv, of the lineage 

of 

(i) Hercd caused her brother Aristobulus, who was high 
priest, to be secretly murdered. 

(k) As it appears that divine worship was not interrupted 
during these repairs, which continued forty-six years, it is 
evident that the temple was not wholly piflled down. Herod 
built also a magnificent palace for himself on Mount Sion. 
Both works were probably designed as an imitation of So- 
lomon. 

(I) Tac. Hist. lib. 5. cap. 13. Suet, in Vita Vesp. c. 4. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jezvs continued. 15$ 
of David, in the city of Bethlehem of Judeea (m) 9 
according to the word of prophecy. Herod, misled 
by the opinion, which was then common among 
the Jews, that the Messiah was to appear as a tem- 
poral prince, and judging from the enquiries of 
st the wise men of the East," that the child was 
actually born, sent to Bethlehem, and ordered that 
all " the children of two years old and under' 7 
should be put to death, with the hope of destroy- 
ing one whom he considered as the rival of him- 
self, or at least of his family. He was soon after 
smitten with a most loathsome and tormen ting- 
disease, and died, a signal example of divine "' 
justice, about a year and a quarter after the birth 
of our Saviour, and in the thirty-seventh year of 
his reign, computing from the time he was declared 
king by the Romans (n.) 

Herod made his will not long before his death, 
but left the final disposal of his dominions to Au- 
gustus. The emperor ratified this will in all its 
material points, and suffered the countries, over 
which Herod had reigned, to be divided among 
his three sons. Archelaus succeeded to the largest 
share, namely, to Judaea Propria, Samaria, and 
Idumsea. Herod Antipas, called Herod the te- 
trarch, who afterwards beheaded John the Baptist, 
succeeded to Galilee and Persea, and Philip to 
Trachonitis and to the neighbouring region of Itu- 
reea. The sons of Herod the great were not suf- 
fered to take the title of king ; they were only called 
ethnarchs or tetrarchs. Besides the countries al- 
ready mentioned, Abilene, which had belonged to 
Herod during the latter part of his life, and of 
which Lysanias is mentioned by St. Luke (0) as 

tetrarch, 

(m) Our Saviour was born four years before the common 
sera, Bethlehem was originally the mother city of the tribe of 
Judah : it was about five miles south-west of Jerusalem. 

(n) Joseph. Ant. lib. 17. 

(0) Luke, c. 3. v, 1. 



160 Old Testament History abridged, [pAfct I. 
tetrarch, and some cities, were given to Salome, 
. the sister of Herod the great. Archelaus 
/# acted with great cruelty and injustice; 
and in the tenth year of his government, upon a 
regular complaint being made against him by the 
Jews, Augustus banished him to Vienne, in Gaul, 
where he died. 

After the banishment of Archelaus, Augustus 
sent Publius Sulpitius Quirinius (who, according 
to the Greek way of writing that name, is by 
St. Luke called Cyrenius (p), president of Syria, 
to reduce the countries, over which Archelaus had 
reigned, to the form of a Roman province ; and 
appointed Coponius, a Roman of the equestrian 
order, to be governor, under the title of procura- 
tor of Judsea, but subordinate to the president of 
Syria. The power of life and death was now taken 
out of the hands of the Jews, and taxes were from 
this time paid immediately to the Roman emperor. 
Justice was administered in the name and by the 
laws of Rome ; though in what concerned their 
religion, their own 4aws, and the power of the 
high priest, and sanhedrim, or great council, were 
continued to them ; and they were allowed to ex- 
amine witnesses, and exercise an inferior jurisdic- 
tion in other causes, subject to the control of the 
Romans, to whom their tetrarchs or kings were 
also subject; and it may be remarked, that " at 
this very period of time our Saviour (who was now 
in the twelfth year of his age) being at Jerusalem 

with 

(p) Three years before the birth of Christ, Augustus issued 
a decree for the making a general survey of the whole Roman 
empire, including every dependent state, with the design of 
raising a general tax. Sentius Satuminus, being then president 
of Syria, was charged with the execution of this decree in Judaea, 
and it was to render an account of their property that Joseph 
and Mary went up to Bethlehem with a multitude of other 
people ; but the tax was not laid or levied nil Judaea became 
a Roman province, subject to Cyrenius, the president of Syria. 
— Vide Prideaux, part 2. book 9. 



chap. in.] and History of the Jeivs continued. 1 6 1 
with Joseph and Mary upon occasion of the pass- 
over, appeared first in the temple in his prophetic 
office, and in the business of his Father, on which 
he was sent, sitting among the doctors of the tem- 
ple, and declaring the truth of God to them (q)" 
After Coponius, Ambivius, Annius Rufus, Valerius 
Gratus, and Pontius Pilate, were successively pro- 
curators ; and this was the species of government 
to which Judaea and Samaria were subject during 
the ministry of our Saviour. Herod Antipas was 
still tetrarch of Galilee, and it was he to whom our 
Saviour was sent by Pontius Pilate. Lardner is of 
opinion that there was no procurator in Judaea 
after Pontius Pilate, who was removed a.d, 36, 
but that it was governed for a few years by the 
presidents of Syria, who occasionally sent officers 
into Judaea. Philip continued tetrarch of Tracho- 
nitis thirty-seven years, and died in the twentieth 
year of the reign of Tiberius. Caligula gave 
his tetrarchy to Agrippa, the grandson of "* ' 
Herod the great, with the title of king ; and after- 
wards he added the tetrarchy of Herod Antipas, 
whom he deposed and banished after he had 
been tetrarch forty-three years. The emperor 4 
Claudius gave him Judaea, Samaria, the southern 
parts of Idumaea, and Abilene ; and thus at last the 
dominions of Herod Agrippa became nearly the 
same as those of his grandfather, Herod the great. 
It was this Agrippa, called also Herod Agrippa, 
and by St. Luke (r) Herod only, who put to death 
James, the brother of John, and imprisoned Peter. 
He died in the seventh year of his reign, and left 
a son, called also Agrippa, then seventeen years 
old; and Claudius, thinking him too young to 
govern his father's extensive dominions, made 
Cuspus Fadus governor of Judaea. Fadus was 

SOQU 
(q) Home, vol. 1. p. 254. 
(r) ActSj c. 12. v. } y &c. 



l6a Old Testament History abridged, [part i. 

soon succeeded by Tiberius, and he was followed 
by Alexander Cumanus, Felix, and Festus ; but 
Claudius afterwards gave Trachonitis and Abilene 
to Agrippa, and ~N ero added a part of Galilee and 
some other cities. It was this younger Agrippa, 
who was also called king, before whom Paul pleaded 
at Caesarea, which was at that time the place of 
residence of the governor of Judsea. Several of the 
Roman governors severely oppressed and perse- 
cuted the Jews; and at length, in the reign of Nero, 
and in the government of Florus, who had treated 
them with greater cruelty than any of his prede- 
cessors, they openly revolted from the Romans. 
Then began the Jewish war, which was terminated, 
after an obstinnte defence and unparalleled suffer- 
ings on the part of the Jews, by the total destruc- 
. tion of the city and temple of Jerusalem (s), 
J ' by the overthrow of their civil and religious 
polity, and the reduction of the people to a state of 
the most abject slavery: for though, in the reign 
of Adrian, numbers of them collected together, in 
different parts of Judsea, it is to be observed, they 
were then considered and treated as rebellious 
slaves ; and these commotions were made a pre- 
tence for the general slaughter of those who were 
taken, and tended to complete the work of their 
dispersion into all countries under heaven. Since 
that time the Jews have no where subsisted as a 
nation. 



Briefly as I have endeavoured to relate the his- 
tory of the Jews, the period which commences 
with the close of the antient Scriptures is so little 
known, that it may be useful to collect the prin- 
cipal facts under one point of view, for the pur- 
pose of shewing more clearly the connection 

between 

(s) By Titus, son of Vespasian, emperor of Rome. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 163 
between the Old and ISTew Testaments ; and as the 
nature of the Jewish government appears to be 
very frequently misunderstood, I shall take this 
opportunity of adding a few observations upon 
that subject, and shall also subjoin a short account 
of the land of Canaan, both of which may serve to 
throw some light upon scripture history. 

The Jews had many revolutions of peace and 
war, and some changes in the mode of their go- 
vernment, from the time of their return from the 
Babylonian captivity, to their complete subjection 
to the Romans ; but their sacerdotal government, 
as it is sometimes called, continued with but little 
interruption through this whole space of about 600 
years. Having returned into their own country, 
under the sanction and by the authority of Cyrus, 
they acknowledged the sovereignty of the kings of 
Persia, till that empire was overturned by Alex- 
ander the Great ; they then became subject to his 
successors, first in Egypt, and afterwards in Syria, 
till, having been deprived of their religious and civil 
liberties for three years and an half by Antiochus 
Epiphanes, they were restored, both to the exercise 
of their religion and to their antient independence, 
by the piety and bravery of Mattathias and his 
descendants. Under these Maccabssan princes 
they became an entirely free state, supported by 
good troops, strong garrisons, and alliances not 
only with neighbouring powers, but with remote 
kingdoms, even Rome itself. This glory of the Jews 
was but of short duration ; for though the decline 
of the kingdoms of Egypt and Syria prevented their 
interference in the affairs of other states, yet the 
entire ruin of these two kingdoms, by the great 
accession of power which it brought to the Ro- 
mans, paved the way for the destruction of the 
Jewish commonwealth. Pompey compelled the 
Jews to submit to the arms of Rome, and from that 
time their country was tributary to the Romans^ 

although 



164 Old Testament History abridged, [part f« 
although it was still governed by the Maccabaean 
princes. The last of that family was conquered and 
deposed by Herod the great, an Idumsean by birth, 
but of the Jewish religion, who had been appointed 
king of the Jews by the Ptomans, and enjoyed a 
long reign over the whole of Palestine, in the course 
of which he greatly diminished the civil power of 
the high priest. He was succeeded in the govern- 
ment of the greater part of Palestine by his son 
Archelaus, whose misconduct caused Augustus to 
banish him, and to reduce his dominions into the 
form of a Roman province ; and thus it appears, 
that with the exception of the short predicted 
tyranny of Antiochus Epiphanes, the kingdom of 
Judah, for some time independent, but generally 
tributary, continued to enjoy its own religion, and 
the form of its civil government, till after the birth 
of the Messiah. During our Saviour's ministry the 
Jews were permitted to perform their religious 
worship without restraint or molestation ; but 
Judaea and Samaria were then governed by a 
Roman procurator, who had power of life and 
death, and Galilee was governed, under the autho- 
rity of the Romans, by Herod Antipas, a son of 
Herod the great, with the name of tetrarch. These 
circumstances of humiliation were far from pro- 
ducing contrition and amendment in the Jews. 
Having neglected all the means of repentance gra- 
ciously afforded them, and at last filled up the 
measure of their aggravated wickedness by the 
rejection and crucifixion of their " Lord and King," 
they brought upon themselves the utter destruction 
of their national polity, and have now continued 
in an acknowledged state of punishment more than 
seventeen hundred years. 



With respect to the nature of the Jewish govern- 
ment, which seems to be very improperly called 

republican, 



c h A p . t 1 1 .] and History of the Jews continued. 1 65 
republican, we may observe, that it partook of the 
patriarchal form as much as was consistent with 
the condition and circumstances of a nation ; 
and this accounts for our being left to form our 
opinion on this subject from facts and commands 
incidentally mentioned, rather than from a detailed 
relation of the different powers and ranks in the 
state in their regular order. The Israelites had pre- 
served the patriarchal mode of life and rules of 
government during their residence, nay, even dur- 
ing their bondage in Egypt (t). These patriarchal 
laws and customs, therefore, being already esta- 
blished, no particular direction respecting subordi- 
nation was necessary. Antient institutions, which 
harmonized with the Mosaic dispensations, were 
continued, and others were added, to complete a 
system for the peculiar government of this peculiar 
people ; and I think it will be found, that Scripture 
affords more information on this subject than is 
generally imagined. 

Three degrees of Judges or Judicatures are dis- 
tinctly mentioned in the 24th chapter of Joshua : 
" And Joshua called (first) forthe elders of Israel ;" 
these were the " elders of the whole people," or " of 
the congregation" — the great national council (it) 
established by Moses, and in after times called the 
great sanhedrim, consisting of seventy persons, 
both priests and laymen, besides the president, 
who, after the time of Moses, was usually the high 
priest ; " and (secondly) for their heads," these 
were the heads or " princes of the twelve tribes," 
in whom was vested a peculiar and supreme autho- 
rity over each tribe, as their chief magistrate and 
leader in time of war, subject however to the con- 
trol of the great council, of which they formed a 

part ; 

(t) Exod. c. 3. v. 16. c. 24. v. 1 and 1 ] . 
(u) Numb. c. 11. v. 16. c. 34. v. 16 and 17. 



i66 Old Testament History abridged, [part t. 
part (w); " and (thirdly) for their judges ;" these 
were the elders or rulers of cities (x)" whose juris- 
diction was confined to the limits and liberties of 
their respective cities, and was subject to the great 
council. The Jewish writers say, that in " every 
city, which had six score families in it, there was 
a less sanhedrim, or court of judicature, consisting 
of twenty-three judges ;" and our Saviour is sup- 
posed to allude to these two courts in his Sermon 
upon the Mount (y). Many examples of these and 
other inferior distinctions are to be found in Scrip- 
ture. The " rulers of the thousands of Israel," the 
" rulers of hundreds — of fifties — and of tens," ap- 
pear to have been military distinctions ; but be- 
sides the princes of the twelve tribes, who were 
the eldest branch by lineal descent, there were 
" heads of families," who represented the other 
sons and grandsons of the twelve sons of Jacob, and 
were next to the princes of the tribes in rank and 
importance (z). These seem to have had a super- 
intending, but not a judiciary power (a). It is 
supposed these " heads of families," or " chiefs of 
the fathers of Israel," preserved their authority dur- 
ing the Babylonian captivity, when the dispersion 
of the people into so many different parts of that 
empire naturally increased their importance ; and 
we find them afterwards very active in assisting 

Ezra 



(w) Deut. c. 17. v. 8 — 14. Numb. c. 1. v. 4 and 16. Josh. 
c. 23. v. 1 and 2. c. 24. v. l. Numb. c. 30. v. i.e. 31. v. 13. 
c.7. v. 1, 2, and 3. c. 10. v. 14. Josh. c. 9. v. 15. c. 22. v. 14. 
c. 19. v. 47. Jer. c. 36. v. 11. c. 37. v. 14 and 15. c. 38. v. 4 
and 5. Matt. c. 19. v. 28. 

(x) Deut. c. 16. v. 18. c. 21. v. 1, &c. c. 19. v. 12. c. 21. v. 3 
and 19. 2 Kings, c. 10. v. l and 5. Acts, c. 17. v. 8. Ruth, 
€; 4. v. 1 1. 1 Chron. c. 26. v. 29. 

(y) Matt. c. 5. v. 22. Vide also Deut. c. 16. v. 18. c. 17. 
v. 8, 10, 11, 12. Ezra, c. 10. v. 8 and 14. 

(z) Josh. c. 21. v. 1. 1 Chron. c. 8. v. 28. Numb. c. 26. 

(a) 2 Chron. c. 19. v. 8. Ezra, c. 1. v. 5. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 167 
Ezra and Kehemiah in the settlement of the people 
in Judaea. These families were again subdivided 
into " households (b)-" so that there evidently 
appears to have been a regular subordination esta- 
blished in their civil and religious polity, all the 
degrees of which were alike subject to a code of 
divine laws, and to the especial government of 
" God their King." 

When it is said in the book of Judges, " at that 
time there was no king in Israel (c)" we are to 
understand there was no chief ruler or magistrate, 
like Moses or Joshua ; there was indeed a high 
priest (d), and there were also elders (e) ; but there 
was not then a sufficient power lodged in any one 
person to control and keep the people in order, by 
punishing public offences and private wrongs, so 
that •■ every man did that which was right in his 
own eyes." The great council had hitherto acted 
as assistants to Moses and Joshua, and probably 
was not yet considered as designed to be the 
supreme authority under God their King. We have 
indeed reason to suppose that the general depravity 
which prevailed in the nation, after the death of the 
generation contemporary with Joshua (f), had 
tainted the council itself, and had deprived its 
members of the gift of inspiration, with which the 
elders had been favoured on its first establish- 
ment (g) ; and from the address of Abimelech to 
the people (h), and from some other passages, we 
may even suppose that the institution itself was 
perverted, for the council seems to have been then 
made up wholly of the family of Gideon, instead 
of the representatives of the twelve tribes, and 
members chosen according to the directions ori- 
ginally given. The people themselves appear to 

have 

(b) Josh. c. 7. v. 14 and 18. 1 Sara. c. 10. v. 20. 

(c) ch. 21. v. 25. (d) Judg. c. 20. v. 28. 
(e) Judg. c. 21. v. 16. (f) Judg. c. 2. v. 7— 12. 
.(g) Numb. c. 11. v. 16—30. (h) Judg. c. 9. v. 2, 



l68 Old Testament History abridged, [part.i. 
have been very sensible of the miseries arising 
from such a state of anarchy ; for when God was 
pleased to raise up judges to deliver them from 
the power of the neighbouring nations, to which 
they were subjected as punishments for their wick- 
edness, we find them desirous of making them 
kings (i) to secure a succession of chief civil ma- 
gistrates as well as military leaders. As the func- 
tions of all ordinary magistrates among the Romans 
were superseded by the authority of a dictator, so 
were all Hebrew magistrates subject to the control 
of a judge, who was specially appointed by God ( k) ; 
and in the time of the Jewish kings this whole 
system of administrative justice was frequently in- 
terrupted ; but it cannot escape the observation of 
the attentive reader of the Jewish history, that the 
periods most marked by violence and crimes were 
precisely those, when these constituted authorities 
were from various causes suffered to sink into 
inaction. We find, however, that Jehosaphat was 
anxious to revive the power of the inferior courts 
of judicature (I), and the council seems to have pos- 
sessed great influence in the time of Jeremiah (m). 
After the return from the Babylonian captivity, 
when " the people were settled as of old (n)" the 
supreme power was again lodged in the great 
Council or sanhedrim, which, as we have seen, con- 
tinued to exercise its judicial office, till the national 
polity was totally destroyed by the Romans. 

The land of Canaan, so named from Canaan, 
the son of Ham, whose posterity possessed this land 
as well as Egypt or Mizraim, lies in the western 
part of Asia, between latitude 31 and 34°. Its 
boundaries were, to the north, Ccele-Syria ; to the 

west, 

(i) Judg. c. 8. v. 22 and 23. c. 9. v. 2. 6—57. c. 10, U. 

(k) l Sam. c. 7. v. 16. 

(I) 2 Chron. c. 19. v. 5 and 6, &c. 

(m) Jer. c. 36, 37, and 38. 

(n) Isaiah, c. l. v. 26. Ezra, c. 7. v. 25. c. 10. v. 7 — 14. 



chap, in.] and History of the Jews continued. 1 69 
west, the Mediterranean Sea ; to the east, Arabia 
Deserta ; and to the south and south-west, Arabia 
Petrae and Egypt. Its extent was about 200 
miles from north to south (that is from Dan to 
Beersheba,) and its breadth about 100. It was 
divided into two unequal parts, of which the 
western was considerably the greater, by the river 
Jordan, which rises in the mountains of Hermon, 
(a branch of the mountains of Libanus), and run- 
ning south through the Lake of Gennesareth, or 
" the Sea of Tiberius or Galilee," after a course of 
1 50 miles loses itself in the Lacus Asphaltitis, or 
the Dead Sea. This last lake, or sea, was also 
called " the Sea of the Plain," and occupies the 
place where Sodom and Gomorrha formerly stood. 
The country to the east of the Jordan, was given, 
as has been related, to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, 
and half the tribe of Manasseh. The kingdom of 
Moab lay to the south of Reuben; the kingdom of 
Amnion, to the east of Gad ; and the mountains of 
Hermon bounded Manasseh to the north-east, be- 
yond which lay Trachonitis and Itursea. West of 
the Jordan, to the North, were placed Naphthali, 
on the river, and Asser, which bordered on Phoe- 
nicia and the Mediterranean. Zabulon and Issa- 
char had inland districts ; but the other half tribe 
of Manasseh and Ephraim reached from the sea to 
the river. Dan (upon the coast) and Benjamin 
were south of Ephraim, and north of Simeon and 
Judah. The country allotted to Simeon bordered 
upon the Mediterranean, and extended to Egypt ; 
but the Philistines, who inhabited the coast, were 
never entirely driven out of their possessions. The 
country of Judah bordered upon the Dead Sea, 
which separated it from the kingdom of Moab, 
(for both Simeon and Judah lay considerably more 
south than the tribe of Reuben,) and adjoined the 
mountainous country of Idumsea, or Edom, and 
Arabia Petrsea, to the south. Jerusalem, or Hiero- 
I solyma, 



1 70 Old Testament His toy abridged, fyc. [part i . 

solyma, the capital, supposed to have been the 
Salem of Melchisedek, stood partly in the terri- 
tory of Benjamin, but was allotted to Judah, " the 
chief among the tribes of Israel." After the return 
from the Babylonian captivity, the eastern division 
was called Peraea, (more properly the country 
which had belonged to Reuben and Gad, for the 
northern part, sometimes called Gaulonitis, was 
included in the district of Trachonitis,) and the 
western part was divided into Galilee to the north, 
Judaea to the south, and Samaria in the middle. 
Judaea Proper extended from the Dead Sea and 
the Mediterranean to Egypt, and included the 
countries of Benjamin, Dan, and Simeon, besides 
that of Judah. The whole country was also called 
Palestine, from the Philistines, who, inhabiting 
the western coasts, were first known to the Ro- 
mans, and being by them corruptly called Pales- 
tines, gave that name to the country ; but it was 
more commonly called Judaea, as the land of the 
Jews. Since our Saviour's advent it has been 
called the Holy Land ; but in modern writers all 
distinction is frequently lost in the general name 
of Syria, which is given to the whole country 
east of the Mediterranean, between the sea and 
the desert. 



[ 171 ] 
PART I. 

CHAPTER THE FOURTH. 
OF THE JEWISH SECTS. 



I. Of the Scribes. 
II. Uf 'the Pharisees. 

III. Of the Sadducees. 

IV. Of the Nazarites. 
V. Of the Herodians. 



VI. Of the Galileans. 
VII. Of the Publicans. 
VIII. Of the Essenes. 

IX. Of the Proselytes. 
X. Of the Karaites. 



I. TT is universally agreed, that while the spirit of 
A prophecy continued, there were no religious 
sects among the Jews, the authority of the pro- 
phets being sufficient to prevent any difference of 
opinion. The sects, which afterwards prevailed 
among them, sprang up gradually, and it is diffi- 
cult to ascertain the time of their origin with pre- 
cision; but;- as almost all of them seem to have 
arisen from the doctrines taught by the Scribes, 
after the return from the Babylonian captivity, it 
will be useful to give some account of that class 
of persons, though they are not usually considered 
as a religious sect themselves. 

The Scribes are mentioned very early in the 
sacred history, and many authors suppose that 
they were of two descriptions, the one ecclesiastical, 
the other civil. It is said, " out of Zabulon come 
they that handle the pen of the writer (a) ; and 

the 

(a) Judg. c. 5. v. 14. 

I 2 



172 Of the Jewish Sects. [parti. 

the Rabbis state, that the Scribes were chiefly of 
the tribe of Simeon ; but it is thought that only 
those of the tribe of Levi were allowed to tran- 
scribe the holy Scriptures. These Scribes are 
frequently called, " wise men," and " counsellors ;" 
and those who were remarkable for writing well 
were held in great esteem. In the reign of David, 
Seraiah (7>J, in the reign of Hezekiah, Shebna (c), 
and in the reign of Josiah, Shaphan (d), are all 
called Scribes, and are ranked with the chief offi- 
cers of the kingdom : and Elishama the Scribe (e), 
in the reign of Jehoiakim, is mentioned among the 
princes. We read also of the " principal Scribe 
of the host (f)" or army ; and it is probable that 
there were Scribes in other departments of the 
state. Previous to the Babylonian captivity, the 
word Scribe seems to have been applied to any 
person who was concerned in writing, in the same 
manner as the word Secretary is with us. The civil 
Scribes are not mentioned in the New Testament, 

It appears that the offices of the ecclesiastical 
Scribes, if this distinction be allowed, was origin- 
ally confined to writing copies of the Law, as their 
name imports ; but the knowledge thus necessarily 
acquired, soon led them to become instructors of 
the people in the written law, which, it is believed, 
they publicly read. Baruch was an amanuensis 
or Scribe to Jeremiah, and Ezra is called " a ready 
Scribe in the law of Moses, having prepared his 
heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and 
to teach in Israel statutes and judgments (g) ;" but 
there is no mention of the Scribes being formed 
into a distinct body of men till after the cessation 
of prophecy. When, however, there were no in- 
spired teachers in Israel, no divine oracle in the 

temple, 

(b) 2 Sam. c. 3. v. 17. (c) 2 Kings, c. 18. v. 18. 

(d) 2 Kings, c. 22. v. 3. (e) Jer. c. 36. v. 12. 

(f) Jer. c. 52. v. 25. (g) Ezra, c. 7. v. 6. 10. 



chap, iv.] Of the Jewish Sects. 17$ 

temple, the Scribes presumed to interpret, ex- 
pound and comment upon the Law and the Pro- 
phets in the schools and in the synagogues. Hence 
arose those numberless glosses, and interpreta- 
tions, and opinions ( h), which so much perplexed 
and perverted the text, instead of explaining it; and 
hence arose that unauthorized maxim, which was 
the principal source of all the Jewish sects, that 
the oral or traditionary law was of divine origin, 
as well as the written law of Moses. Ezra had 
examined the various traditions concerning the 
antient and approved usages of the Jewish church, 
which had been in practice before the captivity, 
and were remembered by the chief and most aged 
of the Elders of the people ; and he had given to 
some of these traditionary customs and opinions 
the sanction of his authority. The Scribes there- 
fore, who lived after the time of Simon the just, in 
order to give weight to their various interpretations 
of the law, at first pretended that they also were 
founded upon tradition, and added them to the opi- 
nions which Ezra had established as authentic; and 
in process of time it came to be asserted, that when 

Moses 
(h) These traditions, as they were called, became too nu- 
merous, by the middle of the second century after Christ, to 
be preserved by the memory, and therefore the rabbi Judah, 
president of the Sanhedrim, as they continued to call the 
council of a remnant of the people, which remained some 
time in Galilee, collected them into six books, which were 
called the Miskna, or Repetition of the Oral Law. The Mishna 
soon became the study of all the learned Jews, who employed 
themselves in making comments upon it. These comments 
they called the Gemara or Complement, because by them the 
Mishna is fully explained, and the whole traditionary doctrine 
of their law and religion completed. Thus the Mishna is the 
text, and the Gemara the comment, and both together make 
what they call the Talmud. That made by the Jews in Judsea 
is called the Jerusalem Talmud, and that by the Jews in 
Babylon is called the Babylonian Talmud; the former was 
completed about the year of our Lord 300, and the latter in 
the beginning of the sixth century. — Vide Prideaux. 

1 3 



174 Of the Jewish Sects. [part 1* 

Moses was forty days on Mount Sinai, he received 
from God two laws, the one in writing, the other 
oral; that this oral law was communicated by 
Moses to Aaron and Joshua; and that it passed 
unimpaired and uncorrupted from generation to 
generation, by the tradition of the elders or great 
national council established in the time of Moses ; 
and that this oral law was to be considered as 
supplemental and explanatory of the written law, 
which was represented as being in many places 
obscure, scanty, and defective. In some cases they 
were led to expound the law by the traditions, in 
direct opposition to its true intent and meaning ; 
and it may be supposed that the intercourse of the 
Jews with the Greeks, after the death of Alex- 
ander, contributed much to increase those " vain 
subtleties," with which they had perplexed and 
burthened the doctrines of religion. During our 
Saviour's ministry, the Scribes were those who 
made the law of Moses their particular study, and' 
who were employed in instructing the people. 
Their reputed skill in the Scriptures induced 
Herod (i) to consult them concerning the time at 
which the Messiah was to be born. And our Sa- 
viour speaks of them as sitting in Moses' seat (k), 
which implies that they taught the law; and he 
foretold that he should be betrayed unto the chief 
priests and unto the Scribes (I), and that they 
should put him to death, which shews that they 
were men of great power and authority among 
the Jews. " Scribes," " doctors of the law," and 
U lawyers," were only different names for the same 
class of persons. Those who in the fifth chapter 
of St. Luke are called Pharisees and doctors of the 
Jaw, are soon afterwards called Pharisees and 
Scribes ; and he who by St. Matthew (m) is called 

" a lawyer," 

(i) Matt. c. 2. v. 4. (h) Matt. c. 23. v. 2. 

(I) Matt. c. 16. v. 21. (m) Matt. c. 22. v. 35. 



chap, iv.j Of the Jewish Sects. 175 

** a lawyer," is by St. Mark (n) called u one of 
the Scribes." They had scholars under their care 
whom they taught the knowledge of the law, and 
who, in their schools, sat on low stools just beneath 
their seats, which explains St. Paul's expression, 
that he was " brought up at the feet of Gama- 
liel (0)." We find that our Saviour's manner of 
teaching was contrasted with that of these " vain 
disputers ;" for it is said, when he had ended his 
sermon upon the Mount, " the people were asto- 
nished at his doctrine, for he taught them as one 
having authority, and not as the Scribes (p)" By 
the time of our Saviour, the Scribes had indeed 
in a manner laid aside the written law, having no 
farther regard to that than as it agreed with their 
traditionary expositions of it; and thus, by their 
additions, corruptions, and misinterpretations, 
" they had made the word of God of none effect 
through their traditions (q)" It may be observed, 
that this in a great measure accounts for the ex- 
treme blindness of the Jews with respect to their 
Messiah, whom they had been taught by these 
commentators upon the prophecies to expect as a 
temporal prince. Thus when our Saviour asserts 
his divine nature, and appeals to " Moses and the 
prophets who spake of him, the people sought t6 
slay him (r)," and he expresses no surprise at their 
intention. But when he converses with Nicode- 
mus (s), (who appears to have been convinced by his 
miracles, that he was " a teacher sent from God," 
when he " came to Jesus by night," anxious to ob- 
tain farther information concerning his nature and 
his doctrine,) our Lord, after intimating the neces- 
sity of laying aside all prejudices against the spi- 
ritual nature of his kingdom, asks, " Art thou a 

Master 

(n) Mark, c. 12. v. 28. (0) Acts, c. 22. v. 3. 

(p) Matt. c. 7. v. 29. (q) Matt. c. 15. v. 6. 

(r) John, c. 5. (s) John, c. 3. 

14 



176 Of the Jewish Sects. [parti. 

Master in Israel, and knowest not these things ? " 
that is, knowest not that Moses and the prophets 
describe the Messiah as the Son of God ? and he 
then proceeds to explain in very clear language the 
dignity of his person and office, and the purpose 
for which he came into the world, referring to the 
predictions of the antient Scriptures. And Ste- 
phen ( t), just before his death, addresses the mul- 
titude by an appeal to the Law and the Prophets, 
and reprobates in the most severe terms the teachers 
who misled the people. Our Lord, when speaking 
of " them of old time," classes the " prophets, 
and wise men, and Scribes (u) " together, but of 
the later Scribes he uniformly speaks with censure 
and indignation, and usually joins them with the 
Pharisees, to which sect they in general belonged. 
St. Paul asks, " Where is the wise ? Where is the 
Scribe? Where is the disputer of this world (v)V' 
with evident contempt for such, as " professing 
themselves wise above what was written, became 
fools." 

II. It will appear probable from the preceding 
account of the Scribes, that the principles, by 
which the Pharisees were chiefly distinguished, 
existed some time before they were formed into a 
regular sect. Godwin thought that the Pharisees 
arose about three hundred years before Christ; 
but the earliest written account which we have of 
them in any antient author is in Josephus, who 
tells us, that they were a sect of considerable weight, 
when John Hyrcanus was high priest, a hundred 
and eight years before Christ. Their name was 
derived from Pharas, a Hebrew word, which signi- 
fies separated, or set apart, because they affected 
an extraordinary degree of sanctity and piety. 
Their distinguishing dogma was a scrupulous and 

zealous 

(t) Acts, c. 7. (u.) Matt. c. 23. v. 34. 

(v) l Cor. c. 1, v. 20. 



miAP. iv.] Of tke Jeivisk Sects* 177 

zealous adherence to the traditions of the elders,, 
which they placed upon an equal footing with the 
written lav/. They were strict observers of exter- 
nal rites and ceremonies, beyond what the law 
required, and were superstitiously exact in paying 
tithe of the most trifling articles, while in general 
they neglected the essential duties of moral virtue. 
They were of opinion that good works might claim 
reward from God, and ascribed an extraordinary 
degree of merit to the observance of rules, which 
they had themselves established as works of super- 
erogation. Of this sort were their frequent wash- 
ings and fastings, their nice avoidance of reputed 
sinners, their rigorous observance of the sabbath, 
and the long prayers which they ostentatiously 
" made in the synagogues and in the corners of 
the streets." " Trusting in themselves that they 
were righteous," they not only despised the rest 
of mankind, but were entirely destitute of humility 
towards God, which is inseparable Irom true piety ; 
yet the specious sanctity of their manners, and 
their hypocritical display of zeal for religion, gave 
them a vast influence over the common people, 
and consequently great power and authority in 
the Jewish state. Dr. Lardner, in speaking of the 
Jewish sects, after quoting a passage from Jose- 
phus, in which he says, that " the multitude was 
with the Pharisees," very justly observes, that 
" there is in this respect a complete agreement 
between the Evangelists and Josephus. The people, 
as clearly appears from the Gospels, very generally 
held the tenets and observed the traditions of the 
Pharisees, yet they are never dignified so far as to 
be called Pharisees ; they were rather an appen- 
dage than a part of the sect, and always called 
very plainly, the people, the multitude, and the 
like. The title of Pharisee seems to have been 
almost entirely appropriated to men of leisure and 
substance." The Pharisees believed in the immor- 
I 5 tality 



178 Of the Jewish Sects. [part 1, 

tality of the soul, in the resurrection of the dead* 
and in the existence of angels and spirits ; and it 
is supposed by many of the learned, that they be- 
lieved also in the pre-existence of souls, a doctrine 
which seems to have been commonly held in the 
time of our Saviour. The question of the disciples 
of Christ relative to the man that was born blind, 
" Who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was 
horn blind (w) ? * and the doubts expressed by the 
people, whether Christ was John the Baptist, or 
Elias, or one of the antient prophets (x), are 
thought to have arisen from some opinion of this 
sort ; but I confess I see no ground for the sup- 
position, which some commentators have formed, 
that the Pharisees believed in the Pythagorean 
doctrine of the transmigration of souls. Indeed I 
think this supposition is clearly contradicted both 
by Josephus and the sacred writers. Josephus, in 
his second book against Apion, says, with an allu- 
sion to the rewards given by the heathen nations 
for meritorious conduct, " However, the reward 
for such as live exactly according to the laws is not 
silver or gold ; it is not a garland of olive branches 
or of smallage, nor any such public sign of com- 
mendation ; but every good man has his own con- 
science bearing witness to himself; and by virtue 
of our legislator's prophetic spirit, and of the firm 
security God himself affords to such an one, he 
believes that God hath made this grant to those that 
observe these laws, even though they be obliged rea- 
dily to die for them, that they shall come into being 
again, and at a certain revolution of things, shall 
receive a better life than they had enjoyed before ;" 
and in his Antiquities ( y) he says, " They believe 
that it hath pleased God to make a temperament, 
whereby what he wills is done, but so that the will 

of 

(w) John, c. 9. v. 2. ( x) Matt. c. 16. v. 14. 

(y) Lib. 18. cap. 1. 



chap, iv.] Of the Jewish Sects. 179 

of man can act virtuously or viciously. They also 
believe that souls have an immortal vigour in them, 
and that under the earth there will be rewards or 
punishments, according as they have lived vir- 
tuously or viciously in this life ; and the latter are 
to be detained in an everlasting prison, but the 
former shall have power to revive and live again." 
St. Luke expressly says, that the Pharisees believed 
in the resurrection of the dead ; and we cannot 
suppose that he would call the metempsychosis by 
that name. And when St. Paul professed himself 
a Pharisee, and declared, that of the " hope and re- 
surrection of the dead he was called in question (z}" 
the Pharisees vindicated and supported him, ac- 
knowledging that he was preaching a doctrine 
conformable to the principles of their own sect. 
We must, therefore, I think, conclude that the Pha- 
risees believed in the resurrection of the dead, in 
its proper sense, though their notions upon this 
important point were not correct and accurate. 

III. It is said, that the principles of the Saddu- 
cees were derived from Antigonus Sochseus, pre- 
sident of the Sanhedrim about 250 years before 
Christ, who, rejecting the traditionary doctrines of 
the Scribes, taught that man ought to serve God 
out of pure love, and not from hope of reward, or 
fear of punishment ; and that they derived their 
name from Sadoc, one of his followers, who, mis- 
taking or perverting this doctrine, maintained that 
there was no future state of rewards and punish- 
ments. Whatever foundation there may be for 
this account of the origin of the sect, it is certain, 
that in the time of our Saviour the Sadducees de- 
nied the resurrection of the dead (a), and the 
existence of angels and spirits, or souls of departed 
men; though, as Mr. Home observes, it is not 

easy 

(%) Acts, c. 23. v. 6. (a) Acts, c, 23. v. 8. 

16 



180 Of the Jewish Sects. [part J, 

easy to comprehend how they could at the same 
time admit the authority of the law of Moses. 
They carried their ideas of human freedom so far 
as to assert, that men were absolutely masters of 
their own actions, and at full liberty to do either 
good or evil. Josephus even says, that they de- 
nied the essential difference between good and evil ; 
and though they believed that God created and 
preserved the world, they seem to have denied 
his particular providence. These tenets, which re- 
semble the Epicurean philosophy, led, as might be 
expected, to great profligacy of life ; and we find 
the licentious wickedness of the Sadducees fre- 
quently condemned in the New Testament; yet 
they professed themselves obliged to observe the 
Mosaic law, because of the temporal rewards and 
punishments annexed to such observance; and 
hence they were always severe in their punishment 
of any crimes, which tended to disturb the public 
tranquillity. The Sadducees rejected all tradition, 
and some authors have contended, that they ad- 
mitted only the books of Moses ; but there seems 
no ground for that opinion, either in the Scrip- 
tures or in any antient writer. Even Josephus, 
who was himself a Pharisee, and took every op- 
portunity of reproaching the Sadducees, does not 
mention that they rejected any part of the Scrip- 
tures ; he only says that " the Pharisees have de- 
livered to the people many institutions as received 
from the fathers, which are not written in the law 
of Moses. For this reason the Sadducees reject 
these things, asserting that those things are bind- 
ing which are written, but that the things received 
by tradition from the fathers are not to be ob- 
served." Besides, it is generally believed that the 
Sadducees expected the Messiah with great impa- 
tience, which seems to imply their belief in the 
prophecies, though they misinterpreted their mean- 
ing. Confining all their hopes to this present 

world, 



chap, iv,] Of the Jewish Sects. 281 

world, enjoying its riches, and devoting themselves 
to its pleasures, they might well be particularly 
anxious that their lot of life should be cast in the 
splendid reign of this expected temporal king, with 
the hope of sharing in his conquests and glory : 
but this expectation was so contrary to the lowly 
appearance of our Saviour, that they joined their 
inveterate enemies, the Pharisees, in persecuting 
him and his religion. Josephus says, that " the 
Sadducees were able to draw over to them the 
rich only, the people not following them ; " and 
he elsewhere mentions, that " this sect spread 
chiefly among the young." The Sadducees were 
far less numerous than the Pharisees, but they were 
in general persons of greater opulence and dignity. 
The council, before whom both our Saviour and 
St. Paul were carried, consisted partly of Pharisees 
and partly of Sadducees. 

IV. The Nazarites (b), of whom we read both 
in the Old and New Testament, were of two sorts ; 
such as were by their parents devoted to God in 
their infancy, or sometimes even before their birth, 
and such as devoted themselves, either for life or 
for a limited time : the former were called Na- 
zarsei nativi, and the latter, Nazarsei votivi. The 
only three instances of the Nazarsei nativi, men- 
tioned in Scripture, are Samson (c), Samuel (d), 
and John the Baptist (e). Nazaritism was a 
divine institution; and it was very common for 
Jews, both men and women, " to vow a vow of 
a Nazarite," in order to give themselves up to 
reading, meditation, and prayer, for the purposes 
of moral purification, and " all the days of their 
separation they were holy unto the Lord." The 
laws concerning the Nazarites are contained in the 

sixth 

(b) They were so called from the Hebrew word Nazar, 
separavit. 

(c) Judges, c. 13. v. 5. (d) 1 Sam. c. 1. v. 11. 
{e) Luke, c. l. v. 15. 



l82 Of the Jewish Sects. [part i. 

sixth chapter of the book of Numbers ; and they 
consist principally in directing them to abstain from 
wine and all other intoxicating liquors ; to suffer 
their hair to grow without cutting ; not to come 
near any dead body ; and, at the end of the time 
to offer certain sacrifices, to shave the head at the 
door of the tabernacle or temple, and to burn the 
hair " in the fire which is under the sacrifice of 
the peace-offerings (f)." The Rabbis say, that 
the Nazarrei votivi could not bind themselves by 
a vow to observe the laws of the Nazarites for a less 
time than a month, but that they might bind them- 
selves for any longer time. 

V. The Herodians may perhaps be considered as 
a political rather than as a religious sect ; but we 
are to remember, that among the Jews, religious 
and civil opinions were almost necessarily blended. 
Tertullian, and some other antient authors, thought 
that the Herodians were so called, because they 
believed Herod to be the Messiah ; but Jerome 
treats this opinion with a sort of contempt ; and 
there seems to be no foundation for it in Scripture, 
unless we suppose that it is alluded to in our Lord's 
caution to his disciples against " the leaven of 
Herod." It seems more probable that the Herodians 
were only a set of men strongly attached to the 
family of Herod, and of particularly profligate 
principles. St. Mark tells us, that Christ charged his 
disciples to " beware of the leaven of Herod (g) ; " 
and in the parallel passage of St. Matthew's Gos- 
pel, Christ says, " Beware of the leaven of the 
Sadducees ( h) ; " and hence some commentators 
have supposed that the Herodians belonged to 
the sect of the Sadducees. " These men," says 
Dr. Doddridge, " from their high regard to Herod, 

would 

(f) Vide Spencer de Legibus Hebraeorum, lib. 3. cap. 6. and 
Lardner, v. 1. p. 208. 

(g) c.8. r. 15. (k) c. 16. v. 6. 



chap, iv.] Of the Jewish Sects. 183 

would naturally be zealous for the authority of 
the Romans, by whose means Herod was made, 
and continued, king ; " and it is probable, as Dean 
Prideaux conjectures, that a they might incline to 
conform to Roman customs in some particulars, 
which the law would not allow, and especially in 
the admission of images, though not in the reli- 
gious, or rather idolatrous, use of them. Herod's 
attempt to set up a golden eagle over the east gate 
of the temple, is well known. These complaisant 
courtiers would no doubt defend it, and the same 
temper might discover itself in other instances." 

VI. The Galilseans are mentioned in Scripture, 
in strong terms of censure, as a turbulent and sedi- 
tious sect : and Josephus, who does not name the 
Herodians, not only speaks of the Galilseans as a 
very considerable sect, but ascribes to them a great 
part of the calamities of his country. Their leader 
was Judas of Galilee, who Was followed at first 
but by a small part of the Pharisees ; but by de- 
grees the Galilaeans swallowed up almost all the 
other sects ; and it is highly probable that the 
Zealots, particularly mentioned at the siege of 
Jerusalem, were of this sect. 

VII. The Publicans were not of any sect, civil or 
religious, but merely tax-gatherers and collectors 
of customs due to the Romans. These offices, 
though formerly conferred upon none but Roman 
citizens of the equestrian order (i), were held, at 
the time they are mentioned in Scripture, by per- 
sons of low condition, and the employment was 
generally esteemed base and infamous. Several 
things concurred to make the Publicans particularly 
odious to the Jews. Considering themselves as 
a free people, under the immediate government of 

God, 

(i) Flos enim equitum Romanorum, ornamentum civitatis, 
iirmamentum reipublicce, Publicanoramordine continetur. Cic. 
pro Plancio. 



184 Of the Jewish Sects* [part i. 

God, they bore with impatience the taxes imposed 
by the Romans, and even questioned whether it 
were " lawful to pay tribute to Csesar." The Pub- 
licans were generally Jews, who, farming the cus- 
toms of the Romans, were too often led by motives 
of avarice to be extortioners also ; and the people 
could ill endure these rigorous exactions from their 
brethren, who thus appeared to join with the Ro- 
mans in endeavouring to entail perpetual subjection 
upon their nation, or at least in making the yoke 
more galling and oppressive ; besides, the necessary 
dealings and connection of the Publicans with 
the Gentiles, which the Jews held to be unlawful, 
cast a peculiar odium upon the whole body ; and 
thus we find our Saviour was reproached for being 
n a friend of Publicans and Sinners." 

VIII. The Essenes (k) appear to have been an 
enthusiastic sect, never numerous, and but little 
known; directly opposite to the Pharisees with re- 
spect to their reliance upon tradition, and their scru- 
pulous regard to the ceremonial law, but pretending, 
like them, to superior sanctity of manners. They 
existed in the time of our Saviour ; and though 
they are not mentioned in the New Testament, 
they are supposed to be alluded to by St. Paul 
in his Epistles to the Ephesians, and Colossians, 
and in his first Epistle to Timothy. From the 
account given of the doctrines and institutions of 
this sect by Philo and Josephus, we learn that they 
believed in the immortality of the soul; that they 
were absolute predestinarians ; that they observed 
the seventh day with peculiar strictness ; that they 
held the Scriptures in the highest reverence, but 
considered them as mystic writings, and expound- 
ed them allegorically ; that they sent gifts to the 
temple, but offered no sacrifices ; and they admit- 
ted 

(k) Michoelis says that Essenes is an Egyptian word sig- 
nifying the same as ©sgaTrevrai in Greek. 



€ hap. iv.] Of the Jewish Sects. 1S5 

ted no one into their society till after a probation 
of three years ; that they lived in a state of perfect 
equality, except that they paid respect to the aged, 
and to their priests ; that they considered all secular 
employment as unlawful, except that of agriculture - t 
that they had all things in common, and were in- 
dustrious, quiet, and free from every species of vice; 
that they held celibacy and solitude in high esteem ; 
that they allowed no change of raiment till neces- 
sity required it ; that they abstained from wine ; 
that they were not permitted to eat but with their 
own sect ; and that a certain portion of food was 
allotted to each person, of which they partook to- 
gether, after solemn ablutions. The austere and re- 
tired life of the Essenes is supposed to have given 
rise to monkish superstition (I). 

IX. Proselytes are mentioned in Scripture in 
contradistinction to Jews, and they are represented 
by antient Jewish writers, and by some modern 
Christian divines, as divided into two sorts; Pro- 
selytes of the Gate, and Proselytes of Righteous- 
ness, or, of the Covenant. The Rabbis give a long 
account of the different ceremonies of initiation 
of these two classes. It is allowed that the Jewish 
nation was gradually made up of two descriptions 
of people, those who were descended from Abraham, 
and those who, being originally Gentiles, were na- 
turalized, and considered as Jews after a certain 
number of generations, which seem to have been 
less or more, according to the merit, and other cir- 
cumstances, of their respective nations. " Certain 
it is, the law made a difference between one nation 
and another, as to what is called ? entering into the 
congregation of the Lord (m).' Edomites and 
Egyptians had this privilege in the third generation; 

though 

(t) Eus. Hist. Eccl. lib. 2. cap. 17. 

(m) The received opinion concerning " entering into the 
congregation of the Lord" is, that it signifies, being per- 
mitted to bear any office in the Jewish commonwealth; but 

th© 



186 Of the Jewish Sects. [part i. 

though their immediate children were excluded, 
their grand-children were admitted. An Ammonite 
or Moabite was excluded even ' to the tenth gene- 
ration,' saith the law, or, as it is added, ' for ever,' 
which the Jews take to be explanatory of the tenth 
generation (n)" Those who contend for these two 
sorts of Proselytes, define a Proselyte in general to 
be a person, who, being a Gentile by birth, came 
over to the Jewish religion, in whole or in part. 
Those who took upon themselves the obligation of 
the whole law, are supposed to have been called 
Proselytes of Righteousness, or of the Covenant, 
and were entitled to the same privileges as the seed 
of Abraham, though these adopted children were 
considered as inferior to those who where children 
by birth. The Proselytes of the Gate are said to 
have been such Gentiles, as were permitted by the 
Jews to dwell among them, and were admitted to 
the worship of the God of Israel, and the hope of 
a future life, but did not engage to observe the 
whole of the law ; these were not circumcised, 
nor did they conform to the Mosaic rites and ordi- 
nances, being obliged only to observe the laws, 
which the Jews call the seven precepts of Noah ( o) ; 
they were however allowed to offer up their prayers 
in the temple and in the synagogues, but not to 
enter farther into the temple than the outer court, 
which was called the court of the Gentiles ; and 
in the synagogues they had places assigned them 

separate 

the Rabbis assert, that Proselytes were excluded from many 
civil advantages and privileges, to which the Israelites by 
descent were entitled. 

(n) Jennings's Jewish Antiquities. 

(o) These were, according to the Rabbis, 1st, to abstain 
from idolatry ; 2dly, from blasphemy ; 3dly, from murder ; 
4thly, from adultery; 5thly, from theft; 6thly, to appoint 
just and upright judges; 7thiy, not to eat the flesh of any 
animal cut off while it was alive. Maimonides says, that the 
first six of these precepts were given to Adam, and the seventh 
to Noah ; but they are not even mentioned by Onkelos, 
Philo, or Josephus. 



chap, iv.] Of theJeivish Sects. 187 

separate from the Jews themselves (p). The term, 
Proselytes of the Gate, is derived from an expres- 
sion frequent in the Old Testament, namely, " the 
stranger that is within thy gates ;" but I think it 
evident that * the strangers " were those Gentiles 
who were permitted to live among the Jews under 
certain restrictions (q), and whom the Jews were 
forbid * to vex or oppress," so long as they lived 
in a peaceable manner. I must own that there ap- 
pears to me no ground whatever in Scripture for 
this distinction of Proselytes of the Gate and Pro- 
selytes of Righteousness. According to my idea, 
Proselytes were those, and those only, who took 
upon themselves the obligation of the whole Mosaic 
law, but retained that name till they were admitted 
into the congregation of the Lord, as adopted 
children. Gentiles were allowed to worship, and 
offer sacrifices to the God of Israel, in the outer 
court of the temple (r) ; and some of them, per- 
suaded of the sole and universal sovereignty of the 
Lord Jehovah, might renounce idolatry without 
embracing the Mosaic law ; but such persons ap- 
pear to me never to be called Proselytes in Scrip- 
ture, or in any antient Christian writer (s). 

X. The Karaites have their name from the Chal- 
dee word Kara, Scriptura Sacra, because they ad- 
hered to the Scripture as the whole and only rule 

of 

(p) Naaman the Syrian, Cornelius the centurion, the 
Ethiopian eunuch, and the " devout men," mentioned in the 
Acts, are considered by Godwin, Benson, and many others, as 
Proselytes of the Gate. 

(q) They were to abstain from idolatry ; they were not to 
blaspheme the God of Israel ; and they were to observe the 
Jewish sabbath. 

(r) Josephus mentions Alexander the Great, Antiochus and 
Ptolemy, as having all worshipped, and offered sacrifices, in the 
temple at Jerusalem. 

(s) " I do not believe that the notion of two sorts of Jewish 
Proselytes can be found in any Christian writer before the 14th 
century, or later." — Lardner. 



l88 Of the Jewish Sects. [part i. 

of faith and practice, admitting the authority of 
tradition only when it agreed with the written 
word of God. Upon the dissension between Hillel 
the president of the Sanhedrim and Shammai the 
vice-president, about thirty years before Christ, 
their respective scholars formed two parties, and 
took different names. Those who adhered to 
Scripture only were called Karaim, or Scriptuarii, 
and were followers of Shammai ; and those who 
were zealous for the traditions taught by the 
Scribes or Rabbis, were called Rabbanim, Rabbi- 
nists, and were followers of Hillel. The Karaites, 
however, justly boasted the high antiquity of their 
principles, as being the followers of Moses and of 
the prophets, in opposition to human tradition; 
but when the doctrines of the Rabbis were generally 
adopted among the Jews, the Karaites were con- 
sidered as schismatics. They seem to have re- 
mained for some time in obscurity ; but about the 
year of our Lord 750, Anan, a Jew of Babylon, of 
the stock of David, and Saul his son, both men of 
learning, publicly disclaimed the authority of the 
traditionary doctrines of the Talmud, asserted the 
Scriptures to be the sole rule of faith, and became 
heads of the Karaites or Scriptuarii, who again 
grew into repute, and increased in numbers. There 
are now some of this sect in Poland and Russia, but 
they chiefly reside in Turkey and Egypt ; few or 
none are to be found in these western countries (t). 
Thus it appears that a remnant has been always 
left, who confined their faith to the written word 
of God, and that the absurdities of the Talmud re- 
vived the spirit of true religion among the Jews ; 
for the Karaites are universally reckoned men of 
the best learning, of the greatest piety, and of the 
purest morals of the whole nation. 

(t) Vide Prideaux. 



[ i8g ] 
PART II. 

CHAPTER THE FIRST: 

I. OF THE CANON OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, 

II. OF THE INSPIRATION OF THE BOOKS OF 
THE NEW TESTAMENT. 



I. HPHE Canon of the New Testament consists 
of twenty-seven books, which were written 
by eight different authors, all of whom were con- 
temporary with our Saviour. These books were 
written at different times, and at places remote 
from each other ; and when the latest of them was 
published, the Gospel had been preached, and 
churches founded in many parts of Asia, Europe, 
and Africa. Different churches at first received 
different books, according to their situation and 
circumstances ; their canons were gradually en- 
larged, and it was not long, though the precise 
time is not known, before the same, or very nearly 
the same, books were acknowledged by the Chris- 
tians of all countries. 

The persecutions, under which the professors of 
the Gospel continually laboured, and the want of 
a national establishment of Christianity, prevented, 
for several centuries, any general assembly of Chris- 
tians for the purpose of settling the canon of their 
. Scriptures. Since, therefore, there could be no 
declaration by public authority upon this subject 
for so long a period, recourse must be had to ec- 
clesiastical writers for the earliest catalogues of the 

books 



i£)0 Canon of the New Testament, [part ii. 

books of the New Testament; and we have the 
satisfaction of finding an almost perfect agreement 
among them (a). 

The first writer, who has left us a regular cata- 
logue of the books of the New Testament, is 
Origen, who lived in the beginning of the third 
century, although, as it will hereafter appear, they 
are all mentioned separately by much earlier au- 
thors. This catalogue is the same as our present 
canon, except that it omits the epistles of St. James 
and St. Jude ; but Origen, in other parts of his 
writings, refers to these epistles as the productions 
of those Apostles. In the following century we 
have catalogues in the remaining works of Euse- 
bius, Athanasius, Cyril, Epiphanius, Gregory Na- 
zianzen, Philaster, Jerome, Ruffin, and Augustine, 
and those settled at the provincial councils of Lao- 
dicea and Carthage (b). Of these eleven cata- 
logues, seven exactly agree with our canon ; and 
the other four differ only in these respects, namely, 
three omit the Revelation only, and Philaster, in 
his catalogue, omits the epistle to the Hebrews, as 
well as the Revelation ; but he acknowledges both 
these books in other parts of his works. These 
catalogues include no books which are not in our 
canon; and we learn from Poly carp, who was 
contemporary with the Apostles, and from Justin 
Martyr, Tatian, Irenseus, Tertullian, and Clement 

of 

(a) " This canon (that is, of the New Testament) was not 
determined by the authority of councils, but the books of 
which it consists, were known to be the genuine writings of 
the Apostles and Evangelists, in the same way and manner 
that we know the works of Caesar, Cicero, Virgil, Horace, 
Tacitus, to be theirs; and the canon has been formed upon 
the ground of an unanimous or generally concurring testimony 
and tradition." Lardner, vol. 6. p. 27. This was indeed 
a point so little disputed, that we do not find any cata- 
logue of canonical books in the decrees of the early general 
councils. 

(b) This was the third council at Carthage. 



chap, i.] Canon of the New Testament. . lgi 

of Alexandria, all of whom lived in the second 
century, that the primitive church admitted no 
other Gospels, but those of Matthew, Mark, Luke, 
and John. These authors also, and many others, 
assure us, that the Scriptures of the New Testa- 
ment were publicly read in Christian congrega- 
tions ; and the fifty-ninth canon of the council of 
Laodicea expressly orders that the books of the 
canon, and no others, should be read in the 
churches ( c). Copies of these books were dispersed 
every where. Christians of every denomination 
appealed to them in all their various controversies 
as authentic testimony ; and both the Jewish and 
Pagan enemies of the Gospel understood, that 
they contained the faith of Christians. This pub- 
licity of the books of the New Testament rendered 
designed corruption utterly impracticable ; it is 
however to be expected that the purity of these 
books, like that of the Old Testament, should have 
suffered, in a long series of years, from the negli- 
gence of transcribers (d). The most minute care 
and attention have been employed in collating the 
remaining manuscripts of the whole and of every 
part of the New Testament, and a considerable 
number of various readings has been discovered ; 
but they are not of such a nature as to affect any 
essential article of our faith, or any indispensable 
rule of life (e). It seems indeed to have been wisely 

ordered 

(c) Some few works of the apostolical fathers were also 
read in the churches of some places, but nevertheless they 
were not received as sacred Scripture. In like manner we 
read certain parts of the apocryphal books in our churches, 
although we do not admit those books into our canon. They 
are read " for example of life and instruction of manners, 
but are not applied to establish any doctrine." Art. 6. of our 
church. 

(d) Origen, Horn. 8. in Mat. complains of the negligence of 
transcribers, and so does Jerome, Prasf. in 4 Evang. 

(e) Et sane (ut dicam quod res est) ex praestantissima hac 
Novi Testamenti editione Milliana, (ad quam nunc nostra 

opera 



1<)2 .Canon of the New Testament, [part ii. 

ordered by a kind Providence, that no important 
doctrine or precept should rest upon a single text 
of Scripture, nor even upon the credit of one 
writer ; and therefore we are never compelled to 
have recourse to a disputed passage in support of 
any fundamental principle of our religion ; and 
while we contend that a single inspired authority 
is a sufficient proof of any proposition in theology 
or morals, we acknowledge that the different 
writers of the New Testament, by their perfect 
agreement in all material points, confirm and 
strengthen each other ; and that the Gospel de- 
rives great advantages, from the number and con- 
sistency of the witnesses to its truth. 

The respective testimonies to the genuineness of 
the several books of the New Testament, will be 
stated when we treat of them separately; at present 
it will be sufficient to observe, that the four Gos- 
pels (f), the first thirteen Epistles of St. Paul, the 
first Epistle of St. Peter, and the first Epistle of St. 
John, were always acknowledged to be written by 
the persons whose names they bear, and the Acts 
of the Apostles by St. Luke ; and that the genuine- 
ness 

opera accessio haud spernenda facta est) vel hie precipue fructus 
in ecclesiam redundat, quod nuncdemum scire liceat, plerasque 
tot codicum MSS. lectiones variantes ita comparatas esse, ut 
parum vel nihil inter eas intersit. Kusteri Praef. 

Q') Irenaeus, lib. 3. cap. 2. is the earliest author who ex- 
pressly mentions all the four Gospels, and he names them in 
the order in which they stand in our New Testaments. Ta- 
tian, about the same time, namely, between the middle and 
end of the second century, composed a Harmony of the Gos- 
pels, the first attempt of the kind, which he called " Diates- 
saron," " Of the Four," and which demonstrates that there 
were then four Gospels, and no more, of established authority 
in the church. Eus. Hist. Eccl. lib. 4. cap. 29. Early in 
the third century, Ammonius also wrote a Harmony of the 
Four Gospels. Tertullian adv. Marc. lib. 4. capu 1. at the 
end of the second century, and Origen, in the beginning of 
the third century, both mention our present four Gospels, 
and no other. Vide Eus. Hist, Eccl. lib. 6. cap. 25. and lib. 3. 
cap. 24. 



chap, i.] Canon of the New Testament. 193 
ness of the other seven books, namely, the Epistle 
to the Hebrews, the Epistle of St. James, the 
second Epistle of St. Peter, the second and third 
Epistles of St. John, the Epistle of St. Jude, and 
the Revelation, was never denied by the Catholic 
church ; doubts only were entertained, at a very 
early period, concerning the right of these books 
to be admitted into the canon, because sufficient 
evidence had not been received at all places that 
they were really apostolical writings. It is possible 
that they might not come into general circulation 
so soon as the Gospels and other Epistles, and there 
might be some difficulty in- obtaining testimony 
concerning them at places remote from the coun- 
tries where they were first published ; but as soon 
as there was time and opportunity for making the 
necessary enquiries, and for ascertaining the authors 
of these books, the genuineness of them all was 
universally allowed ; and therefore this circumstance 
of temporary doubt, instead of invalidating the 
authority of these books, gives a sanction to the 
whole collection, by proving the caution with which 
any book was admitted into the sacred canon. 
Indeed the early Christians had such means of 
knowing the truth, and exercised so much care 
and judgment in settling the canon of the New 
Testament, that no writing, which was pronounced 
by them genuine, has been found to be spurious, 
nor any genuine, which they rejected. Celsus, 
Porphyry, Julian, and all the other early adver- 
saries of Christianity, admitted that the books of 
the New Testament were all written by the persons 
whose names they bear ; and that circumstance is 
itself a sufficent proof of the genuineness of these 
books. 

The books of the New Testament have been ar- 
ranged differently, by different persons, and at dif- 
ferent periods ; nor is the order of them the same 
K in 



194 Canon of the New Testament, [part ii. 

in the manuscripts which are now remaining (g). 
Dr. Lardner contends, that the order in which 
they stand in our Bibles is the most antient ; and 
it seems very proper in itself, and free from every 
objection. These books may be divided into four 
parts, namely, the Gospels, the Acts of the Apos- 
tles, the Epistles, and the Revelation. 

The four Gospels (h) contain, each of them, the 
history of our Saviour's life and ministry ; but we 
must remember, that no one of the Evangelists 
undertook to give an account of all the miracles 
which Christ performed, or of all the instructions 
which he delivered (n). The Gospels are written 
with different degrees of conciseness ; but every 
one of them is sufficiently full to prove, that Jesus 
was the promised Messiah, the Saviour of the world, 
who had been predicted by a long succession of 
prophets, and whose advent was expected, at the 
time of his appearance, both by Jews and Gen- 
tiles (k). Whoever will consult a Greek harmony 

• of 

(g) Very few of the MSS. now remaining contain the 
whole of the New Testament, and the most valuable of these 
are the Codex Vaticanus and the Codex Alexandrinus, both 
written in uncial or large letters, which is a mark of their 
great antiquity. In the Greek MSS. the Gospels are gene- 
rally placed in the order in which they stand in our Bibles ; 
but the Codex Bezs has them in this order, Matthew, John, 
Luke, and Mark, which is also the order observed by the 
Latin Church. 

(h) The Greek word EuayytMtcv, and our English word 
Gospel, have nearly the same signification. EvayytKkiov is de- 
rived from £11 bene and ayyeWa nuncio. The word Gospel is 
of Saxon origin, and is compounded of God, which signifies 
Good, and Spel, which signifies Word or Tidings. The doc- 
trine of salvation, taught by Jesus Christ, is called Gospel, 
or Good Tidings, in several passages of the New Testament. 
Matt. c. 4. v. 23. Mark, c. 13. v. lb. Eph. c. 1. v. 13. Hence 
in time it came to signify the history of Christ's preaching and 
miracles. 

(i) Vide Macknight's Harmony, Obs. 2d. 

(k) Tac. Hist. lib. 5. c. 13. Suet, in Vit. Vesp. cap. 4. 



chap i.] Canon of the New Testament. 195 
of the first three Gospels, will find not only many 
of the same facts and precepts recorded in them all, 
but also the same expressions used sometimes by all 
three, and frequently by two of the Evangelists. 
These examples of verbal agreement are not so 
numerous or so long between St. Mark and St.Luke, 
as they are between St. Matthew and St. Mark, 
and between St. Matthew and St. Luke. But 
where the matter is common, the arrangement is 
not always the same. St. Mark and St. Luke fol- 
low nearly the same order, but St. Matthew in this 
respect often differs from them both. Notwith- 
standing this general agreement and frequent iden- 
tity of expression, there is a species of disagreement 
in some minute points, and in various circumstances 
of time and place, which incontestibly proves that 
they did not write in concert, or unite with a view 
of imposing a fabulous narrative on mankind. It 
is indeed sufficiently manifest to an accurate ex^ 
aminer, that no one of them, when he wrote his 
Gospel, had seen either of the other two Gospels, 
and therefore they may justly be considered as 
three independent authors, who relate the same 
history, and bear testimony to each others' veracity. 
The Gospel of St. John, as will be observed more 
fully hereafter, has very little matter in common 
with the other three Gospels, 

The Acts contain an account of the first preach- 
ing of the Apostles, and of the establishment of 
Christianity in different places of Asia and Europe. 
This history extends to about thirty years after the 
ascension of our Saviour. 

The Epistles were written by different Apostles to 
single persons, to the churches of certain cities or 
districts, or to the whole body of Christians then in 
the world. They are not to be considered as re- 
gular treatises upon the Christian religion, though 
its most essential doctrines are occasionally intro- 
k 2 duced 



196 Inspiration of the New Testament, [part 11. 
duced and explained (I). These letters were intend- 
ed to confirm those, to whom they were addressed, 
in the true faith and practice of the Gospel; to 
guard them against prevailing corruptions ; to 
warn them of impending dangers; to animate 
them under persecutions ; or to correct irregulari- 
ties and false opinions into which they had fallen : 
in one word, to furnish them with such advice and 
rules of conduct, as were suited to their respective 
circumstances. They are not only interesting, by 
informing us of the state of the primitive church, 
and of the errors and controversies which existed 
in the apostolical times, but as containing many 
truths and many precepts highly important and 
valuable to the Christians of every age, and of 
every country ; they form a material part of the 
sacred volume, and will amply repay all the dili- 
gence and attention which are required for the 
right understanding of them. 

The Apocalypse, or Revelation, is a book written 
in a sublime and mysterious style, containing a 
long series of prophecies of all the great events 
which were to take place in the Christian church, 
and calculated by the gradual accomplishment of 
these predictions, to afford to every succeeding age 
additional testimony to the divine origin of our 
holy religion. 

II. It is presumed, that the Inspiration of the 
Old Testament was clearly established in the begin- 
ning of this work ; and if the books of the Old 
Testament, which relate to the partial and tem- 
porary religion of the Jews, were written under 
the direction and superintendence of God himself, 
surely we must conclude the same thing of the 

books 

(I) Particularly in the Epistles to the Romans and He- 
brews. 



«map. i.] Inspiration of the New Testament. 197 
books of the New Testament, which contain the 
religion of all mankind. But notwithstanding the 
strong ground upon which this conclusion rests, 
it may be right to bring forward more direct argu- 
ments in proof of the Inspiration of the New 
Testament. 

The Apostles, it is to be observed, were constant 
attendants upon our Saviour during his ministry ; 
and they were not only present at his public 
preaching, but after addressing himself to the mul- 
titudes in parables and similitudes, " when they 
were alone, he expounded all things to his disci- 
ples Cm)." — " And he also shewed himself alive to 
the Apostles, after his passion, by many infallible 
proofs, being seen by them forty days, and speak- 
ing of the things pertaining to the kingdom of 
God (n)." But still our Saviour foresaw that these 
instructions, delivered to the Apostles as men, and 
impressed upon the human mind in the ordinary 
manner, would not qualify them for the great 
work of propagating his religion ; and therefore 
he promised, that after his departure they should 
receive farther assistance of an extraordinary na- 
ture : " It is expedient for you that I go away ; 
for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come 
unto you ; but if I depart, I will send him unto 
you (0)." — " I will pray the Father, and he shall 
give you another Comforter, that he may abide 
with you for ever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom 
the world cannot receive (p)" — " But the Com- 
forter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father 
will send in my name, he shall teach you all 
things, and bring all things to your remembrance, 
whatsoever I have said unto you (q)." — " How- 
beit, when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he 

will 

(m) Mark, c. 4. v. 34. (n) Acts, c. 1. v. 3. 

(o) John, c. 16. v. 7. (p) John, c. 14. v. 16 & 17. 

(q) John, c. 14. v. 26, 

*3 



198 Inspiration of the New Testament, [paet ii. 
will guide you into all truth, for he shall not 
speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, 
that shall he speak : and he will shew you things 
to come. He shall glorify me ; for he shall receive 
of mine, and shall shew it unto you (r)." Thus it 
was promised that the Holy Ghost should not only 
bring all things to their remembrance, which the 
Apostles had heard from their divine Master ; but 
he was also to guide them into all truth, to teach 
them all things, and to abide with them for ever; 
that is, the Holy Ghost was to enable them to 
recollect every thing which they had been taught 
by Christ, and was likewise to furnish them with 
all the additional knowledge which might be 
necessary respecting Christianity ; and moreover, 
this divine Instructor and Guide was, by his con- 
stant superintendence, to direct and assist them 
in communicating that knowledge to others. It is 
material to remark, that these promises of super- 
natural instruction and assistance, plainly shew 
the insufficiency of common instruction, and the 
necessity of Inspiration in the first teachers of the 
Gospel ; and we are positively assured that these 
promises were accurately fulfilled. After the day 
of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost visibly de- 
scended upon the Apostles, they are represented 
as " full of the Holy Ghost," " speaking as the 
Spirit gave them utterance," uniformly teaching 
and acting under his immediate influence, and 
confirming the divine authority of their doctrines 
by the performance of miracles. Of the eight 
writers of the New Testament, five (s) were among 
these inspired preachers of the Word of God; 
and therefore, if we admit the Genuineness and 
Authenticity of the books of the New Testament 
ascribed to them, no reasonable doubt can be 

entertained 

(r) John, c. 16. v. 13 & 14. 

(s) Matthew, John, James, Peter, and Jude. 



chap, i.] Inspiration of the New Testament. 199 
entertained of their Inspiration. If we believe 
that God sent Christ into the world to found an 
universal religion, and that by the miraculous gifts 
of the Holy Ghost he empowered the Apostles to 
propagate the Gospel, as stated in these books, we 
cannot but believe that he would, by his imme- 
diate interposition, enable those whom he appointed 
to record the Gospel, for the use of future ages, 
to write without the omission of any important 
truth, or the insertion of any material error. Is it 
to be supposed that the Spirit would guide and 
direct the Apostles while they were orally deliver- 
ing the religion of Christ, and that he would with- 
draw his influence when they sat down to write 
that same religion? Would they be exempted 
from all the mistakes and frailties of human na- 
ture while they were preaching to a few, and be 
left liable to them when they were writing for 
many? Would they be supernaturally secured 
against deceiving their contemporaries, while they 
personally instructed them? and are they to be 
considered as merely fallible men, when they in- 
culcated and enforced the same truths, not only 
upon their contemporaries, but upon all succeed- 
ing generations ? The assurance that the Spirit 
should abide with the Apostles for ever, must 
necessarily imply a constant Inspiration, without 
change or intermission, whenever they exercised 
the office of a teacher of the Gospel, whether by 
writing or by speaking. 

It may perhaps be questioned, whether this rea- 
soning will apply with equal force to the writings 
of St. Mark and St. Luke, who were not them- 
selves apostles, but only companions and assistants 
of those who were apostles. But though it be 
true that these evangelists were not of the twelve 
apostles, nor were they miraculously called to the 
office of an apostle, like St. Paul, yet we have 
the strongest reason to believe that they were par- 
k 4 takers 



200 Inspiration of the New Testament, [part 11, 
takers of the extraordinary effusion of the Holy 
Spirit granted to the disciples of Christ; and 
such was the unanimous opinion of the primitive 
Christians. It is moreover generally believed, 
that the Gospels of St. Mark and St. Luke were 
respectively approved by St. Peter and St. Paul, 
and that they both received the sanction of St. 
John; and it is universally acknowledged, that 
these two Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles, 
were considered as canonical Scripture from the 
earliest time. " If the Church had not heard from 
the Apostles, that the writings of their assistants 
were divine, these writings would not have been 
received in the sacred canon ; and if they had not 
been in the canon at the end of the first century, 
they would not have been received in the second 
and following centuries so generally, and without 
contradiction (t)" There is also a perfect har- 
mony between the doctrines delivered by St. Mark 
and St. Luke, and by the other writers of the New 
Testament; and we can indeed scarcely conceive 
it possible, that God would suffer four Gospels to 
be transmitted, as a rule of faith and practice to 
all succeeding generations, two of which were 
written under the immediate direction of his Holy 
Spirit, and the other two by the unassisted powers 
of the human intellect. 

We are told that the Gospels contain but a very 
small part of the transactions of our Saviour's life, 
" and there are also many other things which 

Jesus 

(t) Marsh's Michaelis, vol. 1. page 93. This argument, 
quoted in the first two editions of this work, by a singular 
mistake in the marks of reference in my note book, as the 
opinion of Michaelis, is introduced by him as commonly urged 
in support of the doctrine which he endeavours to refute. But 
whoever will examine the passage as it stands in his .work, 
must, I think, perceive the point in question to be greatly 
strengthened by the weakness of the learned Author's answer 
to this argument. 



CHAP, i.] Inspiration of the New Testament. 201 
Jesus did, the which if they should be written 
every one, I suppose that even the world itself 
could not contain the books that should be writ- 
ten (u)" We are therefore to conclude that the 
Evangelists were supernaturally enabled to make 
a proper selection from this great mass of materials, 
and that they were directed to record such things 
as were best calculated to convey a just idea of the 
religion of Christ. It seems impossible that 
St. John, who wrote his Gospel, as will hereafter 
appear, more than thirty years after the death of 
Christ, should have been able, by the natural 
power of his memory, to recollect those numerous 
discourses of our Saviour which he has related : 
and indeed all the Evangelists must have stood in 
need of the promised assistance of the Holy Ghost 
to bring to remembrance the things which Christ 
had said during his ministry. We are to consider 
St. Luke in writing the Acts of the Apostles, and 
the Apostles themselves in writing the Epistles, as 
under a similar guidance and direction. 

St. Paul, the only writer of the New Testament 
who remains to be considered, in several passages 
of his Epistles, asserts his own Inspiration in the 
most positive and unequivocal terms. In his 
Epistle to the Galatians, he says, " I certify you, 
brethren, that the Gospel which was preached of 
me, is not after man; for I neither received of 
man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation 
of Jesus Christ (x)." In his first Epistle to the 
Corinthians, after giving them advice concerning 
some points, upon which they had consulted him, 
he adds, " I speak this by permission, and not 
by commandment (y) m " and soon after, " to the 
rest speak I, not the Lord." By thus declaring, that 
upon these particular subjects he only delivered 

his 

(u ) John, c. 21. v. 25. (x) c. I. v. 11 and 12. 

(y) c. 7.V.6. 



202 Inspiration of the New Testament, [part 11. 
his own private opinion, (though always under the 
superintending influence of the Holy Spirit (z), 
he plainly implies, that upon other occasions he 
wrote under the immediate direction and especial 
authority of God himself ; and indeed in this very 
chapter he says, " Unto the married I command, 
yet not I, but the Lord." Hence also it follows, 
that the Apostles had some certain method, al- 
though utterly unknown to us, of distinguishing 
that knowledge, which was the effect of Inspira- 
tion, from the ordinary suggestions and conclu- 
sions of their own reason. In the same Epistle, he 
says, in speaking of the doctrines of the Gospel, 
" God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit. 
We have received not the Spirit of the world, but 
the Spirit which is of God, that we might know 
the things that are freely given to us of God. — 
Which things also we speak, not in the words 
which men's wisdom teacheth, but which the 
Holy Ghost teacheth (a)." In his^first Epistle to 
the Thessalonians, he says, "He that despiseth, 
despiseth not man but God, who hath also given 
unto us his Holy Spirit (b)." Although St. Paul 
contends, that he was " not a whit behind the 
chiefest of the Apostles," yet he no where lays 
claim to any superior endowment or qualification, 
and therefore in asserting his own Inspiration, he 
asserts that of all the other Apostles. — Indeed, in 
the two last passages which have been quoted, he 
speaks in the plural number, and seems designedly 
to include the other Apostles ; and in the follow- 
ing passage of his Epistle to the Ephesians, he 
expressly asserts the Inspiration both of himself 
and of the other teachers of the Gospel. " Ye 
have heard of the dispensation of the grace of 
God, which is given me to you-ward. How that 

by 

(z) Vide page 16. (a) c. 2. v. 10, 12, and 13. 

(b) C.4.V.8. 



chap. ].] Inspiration of the New Testament. 203 
by revelation he made known unto me the mys* 
tery (as I wrote afore in few words, whereby when 
ye read ye may understand my knowledge in the 
mystery of Christ) which in other ages was not 
made known unto the sons of men, as it is now 
revealed unto his holy Apostles and Prophets by 
the Spirit (c)" The agreement which subsists 
between the Epistles of St. Paul and the other 
writings of the New Testament, is also a decisive 
proof that they all proceeded from one and the 
self-same Spirit. 

The argument for the Inspiration of Scripture, 
derived from the nature of prophecy, has been 
already mentioned ; and as the books of the New 
Testament contain a great variety of predictions, 
many of which have been literally fulfilled, and 
others are now receiving their completion, this is 
of itself a sufficient proof that these books were 
written under the immediate direction of the Spirit 
of God. 

The general observations made upon the nature 
of Inspiration, in treating of the canon of the Old 
Testament, are to be considered as applicable to 
the books of the New. Since I wrote those ob- 
servations, I have met with a short tract by Mr* 
William Parry, entitled, " An Enquiry into the 
Nature and Extent of the Inspiration of the Apos- 
tles, and other Writers of the New Testament," 
which I desire to recommend to my young readers, 
as containing plain and excellent remarks upon 
the subject of Inspiration. I shall conclude this 
chapter with the following extract from that work, 
although it will occasion a repetition of some 
things which have been already mentioned. '* A 
second and principal deduction, however, to be 
drawn from the account before given, and which 
is of most importance to the subject, is, that the 

Apostles 
(c) c. 3-V.2— 5- 
k6 



204 Inspiration of the Neiv Testament, [p-aut 11* 
Apostles of Jesus Christ were under the infallible 
guidance of the Spirit of Truth, as to every reli- 
gious sentiment which they taught mankind. Here it 
may be necessary to explain the sense in which 
this expression is used. By every religious senti- 
ment is intended, every sentiment that constitutes 
a part of Christian doctrine or Christian duty. 
In every doctrine they taught, in every testimony 
they bore to facts respecting our Lord, in every 
opinion which they gave concerning the import 
of those facts, in every precept, exhortation, 
and promise they addressed to men, it appears 
to me, that they were under the infallible guidance 
of the Spirit of Truth. By being under his 
guidance is meant, that through his influence on 
their t minds, they were infallibly preserved from 
error in declaring the Gospel, so that every reli- 
gious sentiment they taught is true, and agreeable 
to the will of God." 

" As to the nature of this influence and guid- 
ance, some things may be farther remarked. — It 
was before observed, that Inspiration, in the 
highest sense, is the immediate communication of 
knowledge to the human mind by the Spirit of 
God. In this way the apostle Paul was taught the 
whole of Christianity ; and this kind of Inspiration 
the other Apostles had, as to those things which 
they were not acquainted with, before they received 
the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is what some 
have called the Inspiration of suggestion. But as 
to what they had heard, or partly known before, 
the influence of the Spirit enabled them properly 
to understand it, and preserved them from error 
in communicating it. This has been called the 
Inspiration of superintendency. Under this super- 
intendency or guidance of the Spirit, the Apostles 
appear to have been at all times, throughout their 
ministry, after Christ's ascension ; for less than this 
cannot be concluded from our Lord's declaration, 
8 that 



CiiAP. i.] Inspiration of the New Testament. %Gfi 

that the Spirit should abide with them for ever, 
and lead them into all truth." 

" When they acted as writers, recording Chris- 
tianity for the instruction of the church in all suc- 
ceeding times, I apprehend that they were under 
the guidance of the Spirit as to the subjects of 
which they treated; that they wrote under hi» 
influence and direction] that they were preserved 
from all error and mistake in the religious senti- 
ments they expressed ; and that, if any thing were 
inserted in their writings, not contained in that 
complete knowledge of Christianity, of which 
they were previously possessed, (as prophecies 
for instance,) this was immediately communicated 
to them, by revelation, from the Spirit ; but with 
respect to the choice of words, in which they 
wrote, I know not but they might be left to the 
free and rational exercise of their own minds, to 
express themselves in the manner that was natural 
and familiar to them, while at the same time they 
were preserved from error in the ideas they con- 
veyed." 

" Maintaining that the Apostles were under the 
infallible direction of the Holy Spirit, as to every 
religious sentiment contained in their writings, 
secures the same advantages as would result from 
supposing, that every word and letter was dictated 
to them by his influences, without being liable to 
those objections which might be made against 
that view of the subject. As the Spirit preserved 
them from all error in what they have taught and 
recorded, their writings are of the same authority, 
importance, and use to us, as if he had dictated 
every syllable contained in them. If the Spirit 
had guided their pens in such a manner, that they 
had been only mere machines under his direction, 
we could have had no more in their writings than 
a perfect rule, as to all religious opinions and duties, 
all matters of faith and practice. But such a 

perfect 



2o6 Inspiration of the New Testament, [part u. 
perfect rule we have in the New Testament, if we 
consider them as under the Spirit's infallible guid- 
ance in all the religious sentiments they express, 
whether he suggested the very words in which 
they are written, or not. Upon this view of the 
subject, the inspired writings contain a perfect 
and infallible account of the whole will of God for 
our salvation; of all that is necessary for us to 
know, believe, and practise in religion : and what 
can they contain more than this, upon any other 
view of it ? " 

" Another advantage attending the above view 
of the apostolic Inspiration is, that it will enable us 
to understand some things in their writings, which 
it might be difficult to reconcile with another view 
of the subject. If the Inspiration and guidance 
of the Spirit, respecting the writers of the New 
Testament, extended only to what appears to be 
its proper province, matters of a religious and 
moral nature, then there is no necessity to ask, 
whether every thing contained in their writings 
were suggested immediately by the Spirit or not ; 
whether Luke were inspired to say, that the ship 
in which he sailed with Paul was wrecked on the 
island of Melita (d) ; or whether Paul were under 
the guidance of the Spirit, in directing Timothy 
to bring with him the cloak which he left at Troas, 
and the books, but especially the parchments (e) ; 
for the answer is obvious ; these were not things of 
a religious nature, and no inspiration was necessary 
concerning them." 

" This view of the subject will also readily enable 
-a plain Christian, in reading his New Testament, 
to distinguish what he is to consider as inspired 
truth. Every thing which the Apostles have writ- 
ten or taught concerning Christianity, every thing 
which teaches him a religious sentiment, or a 

branch 
( d) Acts, c. 28. v. l. ( e) 2 Tim. c. 4. v. 13. 



chap, i.] Inspiration of the New Testament. 207 
branch of duty, he must consider as divinely true, 
as the mind and will of God, recorded under the 
direction and guidance of his Spirit. It is not 
necessary that he should enquire, whether what the 
Apostles taught be true ? all that he has to search 
after is, their meaning ; and when he understands 
what they meant, he may rest assured, that mean- 
ing is consistent with the will of God, is divine 
infallible truth. The testimony of men, who spoke 
and wrote by the Spirit of God, is the testimony 
of God himself ; and the testimony of the God of 
Truth, is the strongest and most indubitable of all 
demonstration." 



[ 208 ] 

PART II. 

CHAPTER THE SECOND. 

OF ST. MATTHEW'S GOSPEL. 

I. History of St. Matthew.-^ll. Genuineness of his 
Gospel. — III. Its Date. — IV. Language in which 
it was written. — V. Observations. 

*• 1V/TATTHEW, called also Levi, was the son of 

Alphaeus, but probably not of that Alphaeus 
who was the father of the apostle James the Less. 
He was a native of Galilee ; but it is not known in 
what city of that country he was born, or to what 
tribe of the people of Israel he belonged. Though 
a Jew, he was a publican or tax-gatherer under 
the Romans ; and his office seems to have con- 
sisted in collecting the customs due upon commo- 
dities which were carried, and from persons who 
passed, over the Lake of Gennesareth. Our Saviour 
commanded him, as he was sitting at the place 
where he received these customs, to follow him. 
He immediately obeyed ; and from that time he 
became a constant attendant upon our Saviour, and 
was appointed one of the twelve Apostles. Matthew, 
soon after his call, made an entertainment at his 
house, at which were present Christ and some of 
his disciples, and also several publicans. After the 
ascension of our Saviour, he continued, with the 
other Apostles, to preach the Gospel for some 
time in Judaea ; but as there is no farther account of 

him 



chap, ii.] Of St. Matthew's Gospel. sog 

him in any writer of the first four centuries, we 
must consider it as uncertain into what country he 
afterwards went, and likewise in what manner, and 
at what time, he died. It seems, however, pro- 
bable, that he died a natural death, since Hera- 
cleon, a learned Valentinian of the second century, 
as cited by Clement of Alexandria (a), reckons 
Matthew among those Apostles who did not 
suffer martyrdom, and he is not contradicted by 
Clement. Chrysostom ( b) also, who is very full 
in his commendation of Matthew, says nothing of 
his martyrdom. On the contrary, Socrates (c), 
a writer of the fifth century, says that Matthew 
preached the Gospel in iEthiopia, and died a 
martyr at Nedabber, a city of that country; but 
he is contradicted by other authors, who say that 
Matthew died in Persia. 

II. In the few writings which remain of the 
apostolical fathers (d), Barnabas, Clement of 
Rome, Hermas, Ignatius, and Polycarp, there are 
manifest allusions to several passages in this Gos- 
pel; but the Gospel itself is not mentioned in any 
one of them. Papias, the companion of Polycarp, 
is the earliest author upon record, who has expressly 
named Matthew as the writer of a Gospel; and 
we are indebted to Eusebius (e) for transmitting 
to us this valuable testimony. The work itself of 
Papias is lost ; but the quotation in Eusebius is 
such as to convince us, that in the time of Papias 
no doubt was entertained of the genuineness of 
St. Matthew's Gospel. This Gospel is repeatedly 
quoted by Justin Martyr, but without mentioning 
the name of St. Matthew. It is both frequently 

quoted 

(a) Stromat. lib. 4. (b) Horn. 48 and 49. 

(c) H.E.lib. 1. cap. 19. 

(d) These fathers were so called, because they were con- 
temporary with the Apostles, and were their disciples. 

(e) H. E. lib. 3. cap. 39. 



210 Of St. Matthew's Gospel. [part 11. 

quoted, and St. Matthew mentioned as its author, 
by Ireneeus, Origen, Athanasius, Cyril, Epiphanius, 
Jerome, Chrysostom, and a long train of subse- 
quent writers. It was, indeed, universally received 
by the Christian church ; and we do not find that 
its genuineness was controverted by any early pro- 
fane writer. We may therefore conclude, upon the 
concurrent testimony of antiquity, that this Gospel 
is rightly ascribed to St. Matthew. 

III. It is generally agreed, upon the most satis- 
factory evidence (f), that St. Matthew's Gospel 
was the first that was written ; but though this is 
asserted by many antient authors, none of them, 
except Irenseus and Eusebius, have said any thing 
concerning the exact time at which it was written. 
The only passage, in which the former of these 
fathers mentions this subject, is so obscure, that 
no positive conclusion can be drawn from it. 
Dr. Lardner (g) and Dr.Townson (h) understand it 
in very different senses; and Eusebius, who lived a 
hundred and fifty years after Ireneeus, barely says t 
that Matthew wrote his Gospel just before he left 
Judaea to preach the religion of Christ in other 
countries (i) ; but when that was, neither he nor 
any other antient author informs us with certainty. 
The impossibility of settling this point upon antient 
authority has given rise to a variety of opinions 
among moderns. Of the several dates assigned to 

this 

(f) Iren. adver. Hser. lib. 3. cap. 1. Eus. H. E. lib. 6. cap. l. 
Hieron. Cat. Sc. Eccl. Aug. de Cons. Evang. lib. 1. cap. l. 

(g) Vol. 6. P . 9. 

(h) Treatise on the Gospels. 

(i) H. E. lib. 3. cap. 24. Mr. Jones, vol. 3. p. 60. of his 
New Method, asserts, that Eusebius says in his Chronicura, 
that Matthew published his Gospel in the third year of Cali- 
gula ; but Larcuier has shewn that this passage, which is found 
only in some editions of the Chronicum, is spurious, vol. 4, 
p- 263. 



chap, ii.] Of St. Matthew's Gospel. 211 

this Gospel, which deserve any attention, the ear- 
liest is the year 38, and the latest the year 64. 

It appears very improbable, that the Christians 
should be left any considerable number of years 
without a written history of our Saviour's ministry, 
It is certain that the Apostles, immediately after 
the descent of the Holy Ghost, which took place 
only ten days after the ascension of our Saviour 
into Heaven, preached the Gospel to the Jews with 
great success : and surely it is reasonable to suppose^ 
that an authentic account of our Saviour's doctrines 
and miracles would very soon be committed to 
writing, for the confirmation of those who believed 
in his divine mission, and for the conversion of 
others : and, more particularly, to enable the Jews 
to compare the circumstances of the birth, death, 
and resurrection of Jesus with their antient pro- 
phecies relative to the Messiah : and we may con- 
ceive that the Apostles would be desirous of losing 
no time in writing an account of the miracles which 
Jesus performed, and of the discourses which he 
delivered, because the sooner such an account was 
published, the easier it would be to enquire into 
its truth and accuracy; and consequently, when 
these points were satisfactorily ascertained, the 
greater would be its weight and authority. I must 
own that these arguments are, in my judgment, 
so strong in favour of an early publication of some 
history of our Saviour's ministry, that I cannot 
but accede to the opinion of Mr. Jones, Mr. Wet- 
stein, and Dr. Owen, that St. Matthew's Gospel 
was written in the year 38. 

" There is, however," says Bishop Percy, " a 
capital objection to this very early date; and that 
is, the great clearness with which the comprehen- 
sive design of the Christian dispensation, as ex- 
tending to the whole Gentile world, is unfolded in 
this Gospel ; whereas it is well known, and allow- 
ed by all, that for a while our Lord's disciples 

laboured 



Si 2 Of St. Matthew's Gospel. [part n, 

laboured under Jewish prejudices, and that they 
did not fully understand all his discourses at the 
time they were spoken. They could not clearly 
discern the extensive design of the Gospel scheme, 
till after St. Peter had been at the house of Corne- 
lius, nor indeed till after the Gospel had been 
preached abroad in foreign countries by St. Paul 
and other Apostles/' This objection appears to 
carry but little force with it ; for we are to observe, 
that the evangelist, in those passages which relate 
to the universality of the Gospel dispensation, only 
recites the words of our Saviour, without any ex- 
planation or remark ; and we know it was promised 
to the Apostles, that after the ascension of our Lord, 
the Holy Spirit should bring all things to their re- 
membrance, and guide them into all truth. Whe- 
ther St. Matthew was aware of the call of the 
Gentiles, before the Gospel was actually embraced 
by them, cannot be ascertained ; nor is it material, 
since it is generally agreed, that the inspired pen- 
men often did not comprehend the full meaning 
of their own writings, when they referred to future 
events; and it is obvious, that it might answer 
a good purpose to have the future call of the 
Gentiles intimated in an authentic history of our 
Saviour's ministry, to which the believing Jews 
might refer, when that extraordinary and unex- 
pected event should take place : their minds would 
thus be more easily satisfied; and they would 
more readily admit the comprehensive design of 
the Gospel, when they found it declared in a book, 
which they acknowledged as the rule of their faith 
and practice. 

IV. There has also of late been great difference 
of opinion concerning the language in which this 
Gospel was originally written. Among the an- 
tient fathers, Papias, as quoted by Eusebius, Ire- 
naeus, Origen, Cyril, Epiphanius, Chrysostom, and 

Jerome, 



chap, ii.] Of St. Matthew's Gospel. 213 

Jerome (k), positively assert that it was written by 
St. Matthew in Hebrew, that is, in the language 
then spoken in Palestine ; and indeed Dr. Camp- 
bell says, that this point was not controverted by 
any author for fourteen hundred years (I). Erasmus 
was one of the first who contended that the present 
Greek is the original ; and he has been followed by 
Le Clerc, Wetstein, Basnage, Whitby, Jortin, and 
many other learned men. On the other hand, Gro- 
tius, Du Pin, Simon, Walton, Cave, Hammond, 
Mill, Michaelis, Owen, and Campbell, have sup- 
ported the opinion of the antients. In a question of 
this sort, which is a question of fact, the concurrent 
voice of antiquity is with me decisive ; and it surely 
is very dangerous to reject that ground of belief 
upon any point in which the Holy Scriptures are 
concerned ; I do not therefore think it necessary to 
notice the arguments which ingenious moderns have 
urged upon this subject, " quod enim a recentiore 
auctore de rebus adeo antiquis, sine alicujus vetus- 
tioris auctoritate, profertur, contemnitur ( m) ;" they 
may be found in Lardner, Whitby, and Beausobre : 
I will only observe, that the opinion that the first 
published Gospel was written in the language of 
the Jews, and for their peculiar use, is perfectly 
conformable to the distinction with which we know 
they were favoured, of having the Gospel preached 
to them exclusively by our Saviour, and before all 
other nations by his Apostles. 

Though the fathers are unanimous in declaring 
that St. Matthew wrote his Gospel in Hebrew, yet 
they have not informed us by whom it was trans- 
lated 

(k) Jerome observes, that most of the quotations from the 
Old Testament in this Gospel are made according to the He- 
brew text ; and assigns as a reason for it, that St. Matthew 
wrote in Hebrew. These quotations in other parts of the New 
Testament are made from the Septuagint Version. 

(I) Preface to St. Matthew's Gospel, in which this question 
is very ably discussed. 

(m) Bar. Ann. Eccl. A. D. l . N. 12. 



214 Of St. Matthew's Gospel. [part 11. 

latedinto Greek. No writer of the first three cen- 
turies makes any mention whatever of the transla- 
tor ; nor does Eusebius ; and Jerome tells us, that 
in his time it was not known who was the trans- 
lator (n). It is however universally allowed, that 
the Greek translation was made very early (o), and 
that it was more used than the original. This last 
circumstance is easily accounted for. After the 
destruction of Jerusalem, the language of the Jews, 
and every thing which belonged to them, fell into 
great contempt, and the early fathers, writing in 
Greek, would naturally quote and refer to the Greek 
copy of St. Matthew's Gospel, in the same manner 
as they constantly used the Septuagint Version of 
the Old Testament. There being no longer any 
country in which the language of St. Matthew's 
original Gospel was commonly spoken, that ori- 
ginal would soon be forgotten ; and the translation 
into Greek, the language then generally understood, 
would be substituted in its room. This early and 
exclusive use of the Greek translation is a strong 
proof of its correctness, and leaves us but little 
reason to lament the loss of the original (p). 

Dr. 

(n) Matthaeus, qui et Levi, ex publicano apostolus, primus 
in Judaea, propter eos qui ex circumcisione crediderunt, Evan- 
gelium Christi Hebraicis litteris verbisque composuit. Quod 
quis postea in Graecum transtulerit, non satis certum est. Hier. 
de Sc. Eccl. in Mat. 

(o) Qua? diversitas sententiarum, ut de vero auctore certo 
pronuntiare nos vetat, ita illud certissime demonstrat, ipsis 
apostolorum temporibus ab uno illorum, aut illorum, auspiciis, 
vel potius Spiritus Sancti, cujus ipsi erant organa, Graecum 
textum ex Hebraico esse confectum. Casaub. Exercit. 15. ad 
Ann. Bar. n. 12. 

(p) The Ebionites, a sect of Jewish Christians, mutilated 
and interpolated the Hebrew Gospel of St. Matthew, in accom- 
modation to their heretical tenets, and this circumstance might 
also contribute towards bringing the Greek translation into 
general use. It is, however, an additional proof that St. Mat- 
thew's Gospel was originally written in Hebrew, for they could 
not otherwise have had a pretence for receiving this, and re- 
jecting the other Gospels. 



chap, ii.] Of St. Matthew's Gospel. 2i5 

Dr. Lardner has entered very fully into this 
question : he thinks that St. Matthew wrote in 
Greek; and that the original Greek was translated 
into Hebrew; and that this translation was the 
Hebrew Gospel, which, it is acknowledged, exist- 
ed in the primitive age of Christianity. I must 
own that his reasoning appears to me very incon- 
clusive ; and I cannot but remark, that he has not 
attempted to support his opinion by the authority 
of a single antient writer. This is so contrary to 
his usual practice, that I am inclined to think, 
with Dr. Campbell (q), his judgment was biassed 
by his system of credibility. 

V. St. Matthew, being from the time of his 
call a constant attendant upon our Saviour, was 
well qualified to write the history of his life. He 
relates what he saw and heard in a natural and un- 
affected style ; and he is more circumstantial in 
his account than any other of the evangelists. That 
he published his Gospel in Palestine, for the imme- 
diate use of the Jews, was the opinion of all antient 
ecclesiastical writers ; and it is confirmed by the 
contents of the book itself. There are more refer- 
ences in this, than in any other Gospel, to Jewish 
customs; and cities and places in Palestine are 
always mentioned in it as being well known by those 
to whom it is addressed. St. Matthew seems studi- 
ously to have selected such circumstances as were 
calculated to conciliate or strengthen the faith of 
the Jews; for example, no sentiment relative to 
the Messiah was more prevalent among them, than 
that he should be of the race of Abraham, and 
family of David, and accordingly St. Matthew be- 
gins his narrative by shewing the descent of Jesus 
from those two illustrious persons ; he then relates 
the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the city in which 

the 
(q) Preface to St. Matthew's Gospel. 



21 6 Of St. Matthew's Gospel. [partii, 

the Messiah was expected to be born ; and through- 
out his Gospel he omits no opportunity of explain- 
ing the Scriptures and of pointing out the fulfilment 
of prophecy, which was known to have greater 
weight with the Jews than any other species of 
evidence: moreover, he records many of our Sa- 
viour's reproofs to the Jews for their errors and 
superstitions, and thus endeavours to eradicate 
from their minds those prejudices, which impeded 
the progress, or sullied the purity, of the Christian 
faith. Though this Gospel was particularly adapted 
to the Jews, it must also have been very useful in 
confirming, and in converting other persons, espe- 
cially those who were acquainted with the types 
and predictions of the Old Testament. 

" As the sacred writers, especially the Evangelists, 
have many qualities in common, so there is some- 
thing in every one of them, which if attended to, 
will be found to distinguish him from the rest. That 
which principally distinguishes Matthew, is the dis- 
tinctness and particularity with which he has relat- 
ed many of our Lord's discourses and moral instruc- 
tions. Of these, his sermon on the Mount, his charge 
to the Apostles, his illustrations of the nature of his 
kingdom, and his prophecy on Mount Olivet, are 
examples. He has also wonderfully united simplicity 
and energy in relating the replies of his Master to 
the cavils of his adversaries. Being early called to 
the apostleship, he was an eye-witness and ear-wit- 
ness of most of the things which he relates : and 
though I do not think it was the scope of any of 
these historians, to adjust their narratives to the 
precise order of time wherein the events happened, 
there are some circumstances which incline me to 
think, that Matthew has approached at least as 
near that order as any of them (r)." And this we 
may observe, would naturally be the distinguishing 

characteristic 
(r) Dr. Campbell's Preface to St. Matthew's Gospel. 



chap, ii.] Of St. Matthew's Gospel. 217 

characteristic of a narrative, written very soon 
after the events had taken place. 

The most remarkable things recorded in St. 
Matthew's Gospel, and not found in any other, 
are the following : the visit of the eastern magi ; 
our Saviour's flight into Egypt; the slaughter of 
the infants at Bethlehem ; the parable of the ten 
virgins ; the dream of Pilate's wife ; the resurrec- 
tion of many saints at our Saviour's crucifixion ; 
and the bribing of the Roman guard, appointed to 
watch at the holy sepulchre, by the chief priests 
and elders. 



[ 218 ] 

PART II. 

CHAPTER THE THIRD. 

OF ST. MARK'S GOSPEL. 

I. History of St. Mark. — II. Genuineness of his 
Gospel. — III. Its Date. — IV. Observations. 

I. T^OUBTS have been entertained, both in an- 
tient and modern times, whether Mark the 
Evangelist be the same as John, whose surname 
was Mark, mentioned in the Acts, and in some of 
St. Paul's Epistles. This appears a very uncer- 
tain point ; but as even Dr. Campbell, who thinks 
that they were different persons, admits that there 
is no inconsistency in the contrary supposition, 
I shall, with Lightfoot, Wetstein, Lardner, and 
Michaelis (a), consider them as the same. It is 
known to have been a common thing among the 
Jews for the same person to have different names. 

We shall therefore consider Mark, the author of 
this Gospel, as the son of Mary, who was an early 
convert to the religion of Christ. St. Peter, when 
he was delivered out of prison by an angel, went 
immediately to her house, where he found " many 
gathered together praying (b)." Thence it is in- 
ferred, that the Christians were accustomed to 

meet 

(a) Cave, Grotius, Du Pin, and Tillemont, were of a con- 
trary opinion. (b) Acts, c. 12. v. 12. 



Chap, in] Of St. Mark's Gospel. 219 

meet at Mary's house, even in these times of per- 
secution, and that there was an early acquainta nee 
between St. Peter and St. Mark. Mark was the 
nephew of Barnabas, being his sister's son ; and he 
is supposed to have been converted to the Gospel 
by St. Peter, who calls him his son ( c) ; but no 
circumstances of his conversion are recorded. The 
first historical fact mentioned of him in the New 
Testament is, that he went in the year 44, from 
Jerusalem to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. 
Not long after, he set out from Antioch with those 
Apostles upon a journey, which they undertook by 
the direction of the Holy Spirit, for the purpose of 
preaching the Gospel in different countries ; but 
he soon left them, probably without sufficient 
reason, at Perga in Pamphylia, and went to Jeru- 
salem (d). Afterwards, when Paul and Barnabas 
had determined to visit the several churches which 
they had established, Barnabas proposed that they 
should take Mark with them; to which Paul 
objected, because Mark had left them in their 
former journey. This produced a sharp contention 
between Paul and Barnabas, which ended in their 
separation. Mark accompanied his uncle Barnabas 
to Cyprus, but it is not mentioned whither they 
went when they left that island. We may conclude 
that St. Paul was afterwards reconciled to St. Mark, 
from the manner in which he mentions him in 
his Epistles written subsequent to this dispute, 
and particularly from the direction which he gives 
to Timothy ; "■ Take Mark, and bring him with 
thee ; for he is profitable to me for the ministry (e)" 
No farther circumstances are recorded of St. Mark 
in the new Testament; but it is believed, upon 
the authority of antient writers, that soon after his 
journey with Barnabas he met Peter in Asia, and 

that 

(c) 1 Pet. c. 5. v. 13. (d) Acts, c. 13. 

(e) 2 Tim. c. 4= v. 11. 



220 Of Sf* Mark's Gospel, [part n. 

that he continued with him for some time, perhaps 
till Peter suffered martyrdom at Rome. Epiphanius, 
Eusebius, and Jerome, all assert that Mark preached 
the Gospel in Egypt ; and the two latter call him 
Bishop of Alexandria. Baronius, Cave, Wetstein, 
and other learned moderns, have thought that Mark 
died a martyr ; but I find no authority for that 
opinion in any antient writer ; and it seems to be 
contradicted by Jerome, who says, that he died in 
the eighth year of Nero, and was buried at Alex- 
andria (f), which expression appears to imply that 
he died a natural death. Papias (g), and several 
other antient fathers, say, that Mark was not a 
hearer of Christ himself; but on the contrary, 
Epiphanius, and the author of the Dialogue against 
the Marcionites, written in the fourth century, 
assert that he was one of the seventy disciples to 
whom our Saviour gave a temporary commission 
to preach the Gospel ; this, however, does not seem 
probable, as there is reason to believe that he was 
converted to the belief of the Gospel by St. Peter. 

II. Dr. Lardner thinks that this Gospel is 
alluded to by Clement of Rome; but the earliest 
ecclesiastical writer upon record, who expressly 
mentions it, is Papias. It is mentioned also by 
Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian,Origen, 
Eusebius, Epiphanius, Jerome, Augustine, Chry- 
sostom, and many others. The works of these 
fathers contain numerous quotations from this 
Gospel ; and as their testimony is not contradicted 
by any antient writer, we may safely conclude that 
the Gospel of St. Mark is genuine. 

The authority of this Gospel is not affected by 
the question concerning the identity of Mark the 
Evangelist, and Mark the nephew of Barnabas, 
wnce all agree that the writer of this Gospel was 

the 

(f) De Vir. 111. cap. 3. 

(g) Eus. Hist. Eccl. lib.. 3. cap. 39. 



chap, in.] Of St. Mark's Gospel. 221 

the familiar companion of St. Peter, and that he 
was qualified for the work which he undertook by 
having heard for many years the public discourses 
and private conversation of that Apostle. This 
opinion is confirmed by the Gospel itself; for many 
things honourable to St. Peter are omitted in it, 
which are mentioned by the other Evangelists (h) ; 
and it is perfectly conformable to the character of 
St. Peter, that he should not, either in public or 
private, notice circumstances of that kind ; but on 
the other hand, the failings of Peter are all re- 
corded in this Gospel. Thus St. Mark does not add 
the benediction and promise which St. Peter re- 
ceived from our Saviour, upon his acknowledging 
him to be the Messiah ; but he relates at large the 
severe reproof which he received soon after, for 
not bearing to hear that Christ must suffer (i). 

Some writers have asserted that St.Peter revised 
and approved this Gospel, and others have not 
scrupled to call it the Gospel according to St. 
Peter ( k) ; by which title they did not mean to 
question St. Mark's right to be considered as the 
author of this Gospel, but merely to give it the 
sanction of Peter's name. The following passage 
in Eusebius appears to contain so probable an 
account of the occasion of writing this Gospel, and 
comes supported by such high authority, that I 
think it right to transcribe it : " The lustre of piety 
so enlightened the minds of Peter's hearers (at 
Rome), that they were not contented with the bare 
hearing and unwritten instruction of his divine 
preaching, but they earnestly requested Mark, 

whose 

(h) Vide Jones's New Method. 

(i) Vide Townson on the Gospels, p. 155 ; and compare 
Mark, c. 8. with Matt. c. 16. 

(k) Licet et Marcus quod edidit, Petri aflfirmetur, cujus 
interpres Marcus. Tert. adv. Marc. lib. 4. cap. 5. Marcus, 
discipulus et interpres Petri, quae a Petro annunciata erant, 
edidit. Iren. lib. 3. cap. 1. 

*3 



222 Of St. Mark's Gospel '. [part n, 

whose Gospel we have,, being an attendant upon 
Peter, to leave with them a written account of the 
instructions which had been delivered to them by- 
word of mouth ; nor did they desist till they had 
prevailed upon him ; and thus they were the cause 
of the writing of that Gospel, which is called ac- 
cording to Mark : and they say, that the Apostle, 
being informed of what was done, by the revela- 
tion of the Holy Ghost, was pleased with the zeal 
of the men, and authorised the writing to be in- 
troduced into the churches. Clement gives this 
account in the sixth book of his Institutions ; and 
Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, bears testimony to 
it (I)" Jerome also says, that " Mark wrote a 
short Gospel from what he had heard from Peter, 
at the request of the brethren at Rome, which, 
when Peter knew, he approved and published it 
in the churches, commanding the reading of it by 
his own authority (m)." 

III. Different persons have assigned diffe- 
rent dates to this Gospel : but there being almost 
an unanimous concurrence of opinion, that it was 
written while St. Mark was with St. Peter at 
Rome, and not finding any antient authority for 
supposing that Peter was in that city till the year 
64, 1 am inclined to place the publication of this 
Gospel about the year 65. 

IV. St. Mark having written this Gospel for 
the use of the Christians at Rome, which was at 
that time the great metropolis and common centre 
of all civilized nations, we accordingly find it free 
from all peculiarities, and equally accommodated 
to every description of persons. Quotations from 
the antient prophets, and allusions to Jewish cus- 
toms, are as much as possible avoided ; and such 
explanations are added, as might be necessary for 

Gentile 

(I) Eus. H. E. lib. 2. cap. 15. 
(m) Lib. de Vir. Illust. cap. 8. 



Chap, in.] Of St. Mark's Gospel. 223 

Gentile readers at Rome: thus when Jordan is 
first mentioned in this Gospel., the word River is 
prefixed (11) ; the oriental word Corban is said to 
mean a gift ( 0) ; the preparation is said to be the 
day before the sabbath (p) ; and defiled hands are 
said to mean unwashed hands (q) ; and the super- 
stition of the Jews upon that subject is stated 
more at large, than it would have been by a person 
writing at Jerusalem. 

The Gospel of St. Mark is a simple and com- 
pendious narrative, and his style is clear and cor- 
rect; he is in general much less circumstantial 
than St. Matthew, and usually follows his arrange- 
ment. Some authors represent St. Mark's Gospel 
as an abridgment of St. Matthew's (r), but this 
is surely a mistaken idea. St. Mark entirely omits 
several important things related by St. Matthew, 
such as the genealogy and birth of Christ, the 
massacre at Bethlehem, and the sermon upon the 
Mount. He dilates upon some facts which are 
concisely mentioned by St. Matthew, such as the 
cure of the paralytic in the second chapter (s), 
and the miracle among the Gadarenes, in the 
fifth (t). He now and then departs from the order 
of time, and arrangement of facts, observed by 
St. Matthew ; and Lardner has enumerated above 
thirty circumstances noticed by St. Mark, which 
are not found in any other Gospel ; many of these 
are trifling, but two of them are the miraculous 
cures recorded at the end of the 7th chapter, and 
in the middle of the 8th. If, however, we except 
slight additions made by St. Mark to the narrative 

common 

(n) C. 1. v. 5. (0) C.7. v. 11. 

(p) C. 15. v. 42. (q) C. 7. v. 2. 

(r) The earliest author who mentions this idea is Augustine, 
Marcus Matthoeum subsecutus tanquam pedissequus ejus et 
breviator videtur. De cons. Ev. lib. 1. cap. 2. 

(s) Compare Matt. c. 9. v, 2. 

(t) Compare Matt. c. 8. v. 18. 

L 4 



224 Of St. Mark's Gospel. [part if. 

common to the first three Evangelists, there are not 
more than 24 verses in his whole Gospel, which 
contain facts not recorded either by St. Matthew 
or by St. Luke. 

Two learned men, Dr. Owen and Dr. Townson, 
from a collation of St. Matthew's and St. Mark's 
Gospels, have pointed out the use of the same 
words and expressions in so many instances, that 
it has been supposed St. Mark wrote with St. 
Matthew's Gospel before him; but I must own 
that the similarity does not appear to me strong 
enough to warrant such a conclusion; it seems 
no more than might have arisen from other causes. 
St. Peter would naturally recite in his preaching 
the same events and discourses which Matthew 
recorded in his Gospel; and the same circum- 
stances might be mentioned in the same manner 
by men who sought not after " excellency of 
speech," but whose minds retained the remem- 
brance of facts or conversations which strongly 
impressed them, even without taking into con- 
sideration the idea of supernatural guidance. We 
may farther observe, that the idea of St. Mark's 
writing from St. Matthew's Gospel does not cor- 
respond with the account given by Eusebius and 
Jerome, as stated above. 



[ 22S ] 

PART II. 

CHAPTER THE FOURTH. 

OF ST. LUKE'S GOSPEL. 

I. History of St. Luke. — II. Genuineness of his 
Gospel— 111. Its Date.— IV. Place of its Pub- 
lication. — V. Observations. 

I. HPHE New Testament informs us of very few 
A particulars concerning St. Luke. He is not 
named in any of the Gospels. In the Acts of the 
Apostles, which were, as will hereafter be shewn, 
written by him, he uses the first person plural, when 
he is relating some of the travels of St. Paul ; and 
thence it is inferred, that at those times he was him- 
self with that Apostle. The first instance of this kind 
is in the nth verse of the 16th chapter; he there 
says, " Loosing from Troas, we came with a straight 
course to Samothracia." Thus we learn that St. 
Luke accompanied St. Paul in this his first voyage 
to Macedonia. From Samothracia they went to 
Neapolis, and thence to Philippi. At this last place 
we conclude that St. Paul and St. Luke separated, 
because in continuing the history of St. Paul, after 
he left Philippi, St. Luke uses the third person, 
saying, " Now when they had passed through Am- 
phipolis, &c. (a) ;" and he does not resume the fiTst 
person till St. Paul was in Greece the second time. 
We have no account of St. Luke during this interval; 

it 

(a) C. 17. v. 1, 

^ 5 



226 Of St. Lake's Gospel. [pabt ii. 

it only appears that he was not with St. Paul. 
When St. Paul was about to go to Jerusalem from 
Greece, after his second visit into that country, 
St. Luke, mentioning certain persons, says, " These 
going before tarried for us at Troas ; and we sailed 
away from Philippi (b)." Thus again we learn that 
Luke accompanied Paul out of Greece, through 
Macedonia, to Troas ; and the sequel of St. Paul's 
history in the Acts, and some passages in his Epis- 
tles ( c), written while he was a prisoner at Rome, 
inform us that Luke continued from that time with 
Paul, till he was released from his confinement at 
Rome, which was a space of about five years, and in- 
cluded a very interesting part of St. Paul's life (d). 

Here ends the certain account of St. Luke. — It 
seems probable, however, that he went from Rome 
into Achaia ; and some authors have asserted that 
he afterwards preached the Gospel in Africa. None 
of the most antient fathers having mentioned that 
St. Luke suffered martyrdom, we may suppose that 
he died a natural death ; but at what time, or in 
what place, is not known. 

We are told by some that St. Luke was a painter, 
and Grotius and Wetstein thought that he was in 
the early part of his life a slave ; but I find no 
foundation for either opinion in any antient writer. 
It is probable that he was by birth a Jew, and a 
native of Antioch, in Syria ; and I see no reason to 
doubt that " Luke, the beloved physician," men- 
tioned in the Epistle to the Colossians (e), was 
Luke the Evangelist. In the introduction to his 
Gospel (/), Luke appears to intimate that he was 
not himself an eye-witness of the things which he is 
about to relate ; however, some have thought that 

he 

(b) C. 20. v. 5 and 6. 

(c) 2 Tim. c. 4. v. 12. Col. c. 4. v. 14. Philem. v. 24. 

( d) Vide the last nine chapters of the Acts. 

(e) Col. c. 4. v. 14. (f) C. l.v. 1. 



chap, iv.] Of St. Luke's Gospel, '227 

he was one of the seventy disciples ; but there 1* 
no authority in the Scriptures for that opinion, and 
there are now no means of ascertaining whether he 
was or was not, unless the above-mentioned pas- 
sage may be considered as conclusive against it. 

II. Lardner thinks there are a few allusions to 
this Gospel in some of the apostolical fathers, 
especially in Hermas and Poly carp ; and in Justin 
Martyr there are passages evidently taken from 
it ; but the earliest author, who actually mentions 
St. Luke's Gospel, is Irenseus ; and he cites so many 
passages from it, and points out so many pecu- 
liarities in it, all agreeing with the Gospel which 
we now have, that he alone is sufficient to prove 
its genuineness. We may however observe, that 
his testimony is supported by Clement of Alexan- 
dria, Tertullian, Origen, Eusebius, Jerome, Chry- 
sostom, and many others. 

III. The two learned authors, mentioned at 
the end of the last chapter, have compared many 
parallel passages of St, Mark's and St. Luke's 
Gospels ; and Dr. Townson has concluded, that 
St. Luke had seen St. Mark's Gospel, and Dr. 
Owen, that St. Mark had seen St. Luke's : but it 
does not appear to me that there is a sufficient 
similarity of expression to justify either of these 
conclusions. There was among the antients a diffe- 
rence of opinion concerning the priority of these 
two Gospels ; and it must be acknowledged to be 
a very doubtful point. Upon the whole, I am in- 
clined to think that St. Luke wrote before St. 
Mark, and to place the publication of St. Luke's 
Gospel in the year 63, soon after St. Paul's release 
from imprisonment at Rome. 

IV. There is also great doubt about the place 

where this Gospel was published. It seems most 

l 6 probable 



228 Of St. Luke's Gospel. [part it* 

probable that it was published in Greece (g), and 
for the us£ of Gentile converts. Dr. Townson 
observes, that the Evangelist has inserted many 
explanations, particularly concerning the Scribes 
and Pharisees, which he would have omitted, if he 
had been writing for those who were acquainted 
with the customs and sects of the Jews. 

V. We must conclude that the histories of our 
Saviour, referred to in the preface to this Gospel, 
were inaccurate and defective, or St. Luke would 
not have undertaken this work. It does not how- 
ever appear that they were written with any bad 
design ; but being merely human compositions, 
and perhaps put together in great haste, they were 
full of errors. They are now entirely lost, and the 
names of their authors are not known. When the 
four authentic Gospels were published, and came 
into general use, all others were quickly disregarded 
and forgotten. 

St. Luke's Gospel is addressed to Theophilus ; 
but there was a doubt, even in the time of Epi- 
phanius, whether a particular person, or any good 
Christian in general, be intended by that name. 
I am inclined to think that Theophilus was a real 
person, that opinion being more agreeable to the 
simplicity of the sacred writings. 

We have seen that St. Luke was for several years 
the companion of St. Paul ; and many antient 
writers consider this Gospel as having the sanction 
of St. Paul (h). in the same manner as St. Mark's 
had that of St. Peter. Whoever will examine the 
Evangelist's and the Apostle's account of the 

Eucharist 

. (g) Tertiias., Lucas, Medicus, natione Tyrus Antiochensis > 
cujus laus in evangelic-, qui, et ipse discipulus Pauli, in 
Achaiae Bceotiaeque partibus volumen condidit. Hieron. Praefat. 
in Mat. 

(ft) Nam et Lucae dige.stura Paulo adscribere solent. Tert. 
adv. Marc. lib. 4. cap. 5. Lucas, sectator Pauli, quod ab illo 
predicabatur ; in libro condidit. Iren. lib. 3. cap l. 



chap. iv.] Of St. Luke's Gospel. 22g 

Eucharist in their respective original works, will 
observe a great coincidence of expression (i). 

St. Luke seems to have had more learning than 
any other of the Evangelists, and his language is 
more varied, copious, and pure. This superiority 
in style may perhaps be owing to his longer resi- 
dence in Greece, and greater acquaintance with 
Gentiles of good education, than fell to the lot of 
the writers of the other three Gospels. 

This Gospel contains many things which are not 
found in the other Gospels, among which are the 
following : the birth of John the Baptist ; the 
Roman census in Judsea ; the circumstances at- 
tending Christ's birth at Bethlehem ; the vision 
granted to the shepherds ; the early testimony of 
Simeon and Anna ; Christ's conversation with the 
doctors in the Temple when he was twelve years 
old ; the parables of the good Samaritan, of the 
prodigal son, of Dives and Lazarus, of the wicked 
judge, and of the publican and pharisee; the 
miraculous cure of the woman who had been 
bowed down by illness eighteen years ; the cleans- 
ing of the ten lepers ; and the restoring to life the 
son of a widow at Nain ; the account of Zacchseus, 
and of the penitent thief; and the particulars of 
the journey to Emmaus. It is very satisfactory 
that so early a writer as Irenseus has noticed most 
of these peculiarities, which proves not only that 
St. Luke's Gospel, but that the other Gospels also, 
are the same now that they were in the second 
century. 

(i) Compare Luke, c. 22. with i Cor. e. 11. 



£ 230 ] 



PART II. 

CHAPTER THE FIFTH. 

OF ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL. 

I. History of St. John. — II. Genuineness of his Gos- 
pel. —III. Place of its Publication. — IV. Its 
Date.- • V . Observations. 

I. JOHN was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and 
younger brother of James the great, with 
whom he was brought up as a fisherman, and with 
whom he was called to be a disciple and apostle of 
Christ. John has not recorded the circumstances 
of his own call ; but we learn, from the other three 
Evangelists (a), that it took place when he and his 
brother were fishing upon the sea of Galilee, and 
early in our Saviour's ministry. St. Mark, in enu- 
merating the twelve Apostles, informs us that our 
Saviour surnamed these two brothers Boanergesf b), 
that is, Sons of Thunder, which title we may un- 
derstand as a prophetic declaration of the zeal and 
resolution with which they would hereafter bear 
testimony of the great truths of the Gospel. James 
and John, according to the common prejudice of 
the Jew r s, considered the Messiah's kingdom as of 
a temporal nature, and applied to our Saviour for 
situations of honour and dignity in it. St. Mark ( c) 

relates, 

(a) Matt, c- 4. v. 21 . Mark, c. I . v. 19. Luke, c. 5. v. 10. 

(b) Mark, c. 3. v. 17. (c) Mark, c. 10. v. 35. 



CHAP, v.] Of St. John's Gospel 23 1 

relates, that this application was made by the 
Apostles themselves, and St. Matthew (d), that it 
was made by their mother for them in their pre- 
sence ; but both Evangelists represent our Saviour's 
answer as directed to the Apostles. These two 
brothers incurred the reproof of our Saviour upon 
another occasion, in which they shewed a similar 
ignorance of the nature of their Master's kingdom : 
they desired that they might be allowed to call fire 
from heaven to consume some Samaritans, who 
had refused to receive our Saviour, because he was 
going to Jerusalem : " Christ turned and rebuked 
them, and said, Ye know not what manner of 
spirit ye are of; for the Son of man is not come 
to destroy men's lives, but to save them (e)" John 
was one of the four Apostles to whom our Lord 
delivered his predictions relative to the destruction 
of Jerusalem, and the approaching calamities of 
the Jewish nation (f). Peter, and James, and John, 
were chosen to accompany our Saviour upon se- 
veral occasions, when the other Apostles were not 
permitted to be present. When Christ restored the 
daughter of Jairus to life (g), when he was trans- 
figured on the Mount (h), and when he endured his 
agony in the Garden (i) } Peter, and James, and 
John, were his only attendants. Peter and John 
were entrusted to make preparations for our Sa- 
viour's eating the last passover (k) ; but John had 
alone the distinction of leaning upon his Master's 
bosom, and of being called the beloved disciple of 
the Saviour of Mankind (I). That he was treated 
by Christ with greater familiarity than the other 

ApOstles, 

(d) Matt. c. 20. v. 20. (e) Luke, c. 9. v. 54, &c. 

(f) Mark, c. 13. v. 3. 

(g) Mark, c. 5. v. 37. Luke, c. 8. v. 51. 

(h) Matt. c. 17. v. l & 2. Mark, c. 9. v. 2. Luke, c. 9. v. 28. 
( i) Matt. c. 26. v. 3&and 37. Mark, c. 14. v. 32 and 33. 
Ck) Mark, c. 14. v. 13. Luke, c. 22. v. 8. 
(I) John, c. 21, v. 20. c. 13. v. 23. 



s 3 2 Of St, John's Gospel. [part %U 

Apostles, is evident from Peter desiring him to ask 
Christ who should betray him, when he himself did 
not dare to propose the question (m). He seems to 
have been the only Apostle present at the cruci- 
fixion, and to him Jesus, just as he was expiring 
upon the cross, gave the strongest proof of his 
confidence and regard, by consigning to him the 
care of his mother (n). As John had been witness 
to the death of our Saviour, by seeing the blood 
and water issue from his side, which a soldier had 
pierced (o), so he was one of the first who were 
made acquainted with his resurrection. He be- 
lieved, without any hesitation, this great event, 
though " as yet he knew not the Scripture, that 
Christ was to rise from the dead (p)." He was one 
of those to whom our Saviour appeared at the sea 
of Galilee ; and he was afterwards, with the other 
ten Apostles, a witness of his ascension into hea- 
ven (q). John continued to preach the Gospel for 
some time at Jerusalem : he was imprisoned by the 
Sanhedrim, first with Peter only (r), and after- 
wards with the other Apostles (s). Some time after 
this second release, John and Peter were sent by 
the other Apostles to the Samaritans, whom Philip 
the Deacon had converted to the Gospel, that 
" through them they might receive the Holy 
Ghost (t)." With this journey the Scripture his- 
tory of St. John ends, except that he informs us 
in the Revelation, that he was banished to Pat- 
mos (u), an island in the iEgean sea. 

This banishment of St. John to the isle of 

Patmos, 

(m) John,c. 13. v. 24. 

(n) John, c. 19. v. 26 and 27. Eusebius tells us, that the 
Virgin Mary lived about 1 5 years after the ascension of our 
Saviour. H. E. lib. 2. < . 42. 

(o) John, c. 19. v. 34 and 35. 

(p) John,c. 20. v. 9. 

(q) Mark, c. 16. v. 19. Luke, c. 24. v. $1. 

(r) Acts, c. 4. v. l, kc (s) Acts, c. 5. v. 17 and 18. 

(t) Acts, c. 8. v. 14 &■ 15- ( u ) Rev. c l. v. 9. 



CHAP, v.] Of St. John's Gospel. 233 

Patmos, is mentioned by many of the early eccle- 
siastical writers, and they all agree in attributing 
it to Domitian, except Epiphanius in the fourth 
century, who says that John was banished by com- 
mand of Claudius ; but he deserves the less credit, 
because there was no persecution of the Christians 
in the time of that emperor, and his edicts against 
the Jews did not extend to the provinces. 

Sir Isaac Newton was of opinion that John was 
banished to Patmos in the time of Nero ; but I 
own, that even the authority of this great man will 
not weigh with me against the unanimous voice of 
antiquity (x). Dr. Lardner (y) has examined and 
answered his arguments with equal candour and 
learning. 

It is not known at what time John went into 
Asia Minor (z) ; but it is certain that he lived there 
the latter part of his life, and principally at Ephe- 
sus. He planted churches at Smyrna, Pergamos, 
Laodicea, and many other places; and by his 
activity and success in propagating the Gospel, he 
is supposed to have incurred the displeasure of 
Domitian, who banished him to Patmos at the end 
of his reign. He himself tells us, that he " was in 
the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of 
God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ ;", and 
Irenaeus, speaking of the vision which he had there, 
says, " It is not very long ago that he was seen, 
being but a little before our time, at the latter end 
of Domitian's reign (a)." Upon Nerva's succeed- 
ing to the empire, in the year 96, John returned 
to Ephesus, and died there at an advanced age, in 
the third year of Trajan's reign, a. d. 100. It is 
generally believed, that John was the youngest of 

the 

(x) Tota antiquitas in eo abunde consentit, quod Domi- 
tianus ex-ilii Joannis auetor tuerit. Lampe, Proleg. lib, l a 
cap. 4. (y) Vol. 6, 

(z) Lardner thought that it was about the, year 66. 

(a) Lib. 5. c. 34. 



^34 Of 8*' John's Gospel. [part ii. 

the twelve Apostles, and that he survived all the 
rest. An opinion has prevailed that he was, by 
order of Domitian, thrown into a cauldron of 
boiling oil at Rome, before the gate called Porta 
Latina, and that he came out unhurt; but in 
examining into the foundation of this account, 
we find that it rests almost entirely upon the 
authority of Tertullian ( b) ; and since it is not 
mentioned by Irenseus, Origen, and others, who 
have related the sufferings of the Apostles, it 
seems to deserve but little credit, 

II. There are manifest allusions to this Gospel 
in Hennas, and in some epistles of Ignatius, which 
are allowed to be genuine by most critics, and also 
in Justin Martyr; but no one of these fathers 
names the Gospel itself. The first who mentions 
it is Irenseus ; and it is also expressly named by 
Theophilus, Clement of Alexandria, Athenagoras, 
Tertullian, Origen, Eusebius, Epiphanes, Jerome, 
Augustine, and Chrysostom. The genuineness, 
indeed, of St. John's Gospel has always been una- 
nimously admitted by the Christian church. 

III. It is universally agreed that St. John pub- 
lished his Gospel in Asia ; and that when he wrote 
it, he had seen the other three Gospels (c) ; it is, 
therefore, not only valuable in itself, but also as 
a tacit confirmation of the other three, with none 
of which it disagrees in any material point. 

IV. The learned are much divided concerning 
the time of the publication of this Gospel, some 

placing 

(b) De Prescript, cap. 36. This story is also mentioned 
from Tertullian by Jerome, in Matt. cap. 20. 

(c) Cum legisset (scilicet Joannes) Matthaei, Marci, et 
Lucae, voluraina, probaverit quidem textum historiae, et vera 
eos dixisse firmaverit. Hieron. de Vir. Illust. Eus. H. E. lib. 3. 
cap. 24. 



chap, vj Of St. John's Gospel. 235 

placing it rather before, and others considerably- 
after, the destruction of Jerusalem. I am inclined 
to accede to the opinion of those who contend for 
the year 97 ; and my reason is, that this late date, 
exclusive of the authorities which support it, is 
favoured by the contents and design of the Gospel 
itself. It is evident that the Evangelist considers 
those, to whom he addresses his Gospel, as but 
little acquainted with Jewish customs and names ; 
for in relating the first miracle of our Saviour, 
performed at Cana, in Galilee, he says, " And there 
were set there six water-pots, after the manner of 
the purifying of the Jews (d)" He twice calls the 
passover, " the passover of the Jews (e);" and in 
giving an account of our Saviour's interview with 
the Samaritan woman, he adds, " for the Jews 
have no dealings with the Samaritans (f). n He 
tells his readers that Rabbi signifies Teacher (g), 
and Messiah, Christ (h). Explanations of this 
kind were observed in the two preceding Gospels ; 
but in this they are more marked, and occur much 
more frequently ; the reason of which may be, that 
when St John wrote, many more Gentiles, and 
of more distant countries, had been converted to 
Christianity ; and it was now become necessary to 
explain to the Christian Church, thus extended, 
many circumstances which needed no explanation, 
while its members belonged only to the neighbour- 
hood of Judaea, and while the Jewish polity was 
still in existence. It is reasonable to suppose that 
the feasts, and other peculiarities of the Jews, 
would be but little understood by the Gentiles of 
Asia Minor thirty years after the destruction of 
Jerusalem. 

V.The 

(d) John, c. 2. v. 6. (e) John, c. 2. v. 13. c. 11, v. 55, 
(f) John, c. 4. v. 9, (g) John, c. 1. v. 38. 
(h) John, c, 1. v, 41. 



%%6 Of St. John's Gospel. [part ii^ 

V. The immediate design of St. John in writing 
his Gospel, as we are assured by Irenseus (i), Je- 
rome (k), and others, was to refute the Gnostics, 
Cerinthians, Ebionites, and other heretics; whose 
tenets, though they branched out into a variety of 
subjects, all originated from erroneous opinions 
concerning the person of Christ and the creation of 
the world. These points had been scarcely touched 
upon by the other Evangelists, though they had 
faithfully recorded all the leading facts of our 
Saviour's life, and his admirable precepts for the 
regulation of our moral conduct. St. John there- 
fore undertook, at the request of the true believers 
in Asia, to write what Clement of Alexandria (I) 
called a spiritual Gospel ; and accordingly we find 
in it more of doctrine, and less of historical narra- 
tive (m), than in any of the others. He chiefly 

confines 

(i) Lib. 1. cap. 23. lib. 3. cap. 11. In this last passage he 
expressly says, that John aimed by his Gospel to extirpate the 
error which had been sown in the minds of men by Cerinthus, 
and the Nicolaitans, auferre eum, qui a Cerintho inseminatus 
erat hominibus, errorem, et multo prius ab his qui dicuntur 
Nicolaitae. 

(k) Jerome says, " John, laSt of all the rest, wrote his Gos- 
pel, being entreated so to do by the bishops of Asia, against 
Cerinthus and other heretics, and especially the then new 
sprung-up opinions of the Ebionites, who affirm that Christ 
had no being before Mary, for which reason he thought it 
needful to discourse concerning his divine nativity also." De 
Script. Eccl. Joan. 

(1) Eus. H. E. lib. 6. cap. 14. 

(m) In St. John's Gospel there is no account of our Saviour's 
nativity, of his baptism by John, of his temptation in the 
wilderness, of The appointment of the twelve Apostles, or of 
their mission during our Saviour's lifetime. Very little is said 
of the journies of our Saviour, recorded by the other Evange- 
lists ; nor does St. John record the predictions of our Saviour 
relative to the destruction of Jerusalem, or the institution of 
baptism, or the Lord's supper. May we not conclude from the 
omission of so many things of great importance, particularly of 
she only two Sacraments instituted by Christ, that St. John 

supposes 



cji a p . v .] Of St. John's Gospel. 237 

confines himself to those occurrences which had 
been omitted by his predecessors, and which suited 
his design ; and if at any time he relates what had 
been mentioned by them, it is generally with a 
view to introduce some important discourse ( n) of 
our Saviour, or because it was particularly con- 
nected with the main scope of his Gospel. Of this 
last description are the crucifixion and resurrec- 
tion, in which, as related by St. John, a discerning- 
reader will find several circumstances not noticed 
by the other Evangelists. Let it be remembered 
that this book, which contains so much additional 
information relative to the doctrines of Christi- 
anity, and which may be considered as a standard 
of faith for all ages, was written by that Apostle, 
who is known to have enjoyed, in a greater degree 
than the rest, the affection and confidence of the 
Divine Author of our religion, and to whom was 
given a special revelation concerning the state of 
the Christian Church in all succeeding genera- 
tions. The other Gospels, having been written 
before any divisions arose among Christians, 
appear to have the evidences of Christianity for 
their principal object, and chiefly state the leading 
facts of our Lord's ministry, and the general in- 
structions which he delivered, without any refer- 
ence to heretical opinions. The acknowledged 
prevalence of the Gnostic and other heresies, at 
the time this Gospel was written, is itself a strong 
argument in favour of the date which has been 
assigned to it. 

It 

supposes his readers to be acquainted with the other three 
Gospels ? And is not this very omission a strong confirmation 
of the truth of those Gospels ? 

(n) Vide the miracle recorded in the beginning of the 6th 
chapter, and the discourse which follows it. It is remarkable 
that this miracle of feeding 5,000 people is die only one re- 
corded by all the four Evangelists, 



238 Of St. John's Gospel. [part ii. 

It has been remarked by Lardner (0) that St. 
John has recorded more instances of the attempts 
of the Jews against our Saviour's life, than any 
other Evangelist ; and that the events, mentioned 
in this Gospel only, took place chiefly in the early 
part of Christ's ministry. St. John has expressly 
mentioned three passovers (p); and in another 
place he says, " After this there was a feast of the 
Jews (q)" Some authors think, that this feast was 
also a passover; but as in the other instances 
John tells us, that the feasts were passovers, and 
in this does not, the inference seems to be, that 
this was some other feast (r). Upon this ground 
I am disposed to allow somewhat more than two 
years to John's history, and consequently to our 
Saviour's ministry (s). 

It is not a little surprising that so learned a man 
as Grotius, in opposition to the universal testimony 
of manuscripts and versions, and without the sup- 
port of a single antient writer, should have thought 
that the 2 1 st chapter of this Gospel was not written 
by St. John, because the 20th seems to conclude 

the 

(0) Vol. 6. p. 202. 

( P ) C. 2. v. 13. c. 6. v. 4. c. 11. v. 55. 

f?JC.5.v.i. 

(r) This inference is favoured by no article being prefixed 
to the word 'EopT« ; since if St. John had been speaking_of the 
passover as the feast of the Jews by way of eminence/he would 
probably have said h 'Eop-ni, as he does twice, c. 4. v. 45. and 
once, c. 2. v. 23.; and also in the following places, c. 6. v. 4. 
c. 12. v. 12. and 20. c. 13. v. 29. Grotius thinks differently, 
and has quoted two passages, the one from St. Mark's, and 
the other from St. Luke's Gospel, in support of his opinion ; 
but it is to be observed, that in those passages the Evangelists 
refer to the feasts of the passover which had been just before 
mentioned, and therefore no distinction was to be marked. I 
believe that no passage can be found in St. John's Gospel where 
he calls the passover simply 'Eop-nj, without the article, even 
when he had been previously speaking of it. Chrysostom and 
Cyril both thought that the feast spoken of, c. 5. v. l. was not 
the passover. 

(s) Vide Lardner, vol. 2. p. 423, and vol. 6. p. 218. 



c h A P . v .] Of St. John's Gospel. 239 

the history. Some few other moderns have thought 
the same ; but as this opinion is destitute of all 
external evidence, it scarcely deserves any farther 
notice, and more especially as the style of this 
chapter is precisely the same as of the rest of the 
Gospel. 

St. John is generally considered, with respect to 
language, as the least correct writer of the New 
Testament. His style argues a great want of those 
advantages which result from a learned educa- 
tion ; but this defect is amply compensated by the 
unexampled simplicity with which he expresses 
the sublimest truths, and by the affection, zeal, 
and veneration for his Divine Master, so conspi- 
cuous in every page of his Gospel. 



[ 2 4 ] 

PART II. 

CHAPTER THE SIXTH. 

OF THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 

I- Genuineness of this Book. — II. Its Contents.-— 
III. Its Date. — IV. Place of its Publication. — 
V. Importance of this Book. 

I- HPHIS book, in the very beginning, professes 
itself to be a continuation of St. Luke's Gos- 
pel ; and its style bespeaks it to be written by the 
same person. The external evidence is also very 
satisfactory ; for besides allusions in earlier authors, 
and particularly in Clement of Rome, Polycarp, 
and Justin Martyr, the Acts of the Apostles are 
not only quoted by Irenaeus, as written by Luke 
the Evangelist, but there are few things recorded 
in this book which are not mentioned by that an- 
tient father. This strong testimony in favour of 
the genuineness of the Acts of the Apostles is 
supported by Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, 
Jerome, Eusebius, Theodoret, and most of the 
later fathers. It may be added, that the name of 
St. Luke is prefixed to this book in several antient 
Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, and 
also in the old Syriac Version (a). 

II. This is the only inspired work which gives 
us any historical account of the progress of 

Christianity 
(a) Simon Grit. Hist. N. T. P. l. c. 14. 



dftAP. vi.] Of the Acts of the Apostles. 24I 

Christianity after our Saviour's ascension. It com- 
prehends a period of about thirty years, but it by 
no means contains a general history of the Church 
during that time. The principal facts recorded in 
it are, the choice of Matthias to be an apostle in 
the room of the traitor Judas ; the descent of the 
Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost ; the preaching, 
miracles, and sufferings of the Apostles at Jeru- 
salem ; the death of Stephen, the first martyr ; the 
persecution and dispersion of the Christians ; the 
preaching of the Gospel in different parts of Pa- 
lestine, especially in Samaria ; the conversion of 
St. Paul ; the call of Cornelius, the first Gentile 
•convert; the persecution of the Christians by Herod 
Agrippa ; the preaching of Paul and Barnabas to 
the Gentiles by the express command of the Holy 
Ghost ; the decree made at Jerusalem, declaring 
that circumcision, and a conformity to other Jewish 
rites and ceremonies, were not necessary in Gentile 
converts : and the latter part of the book is con- 
fined to the history of St. Paul, of whom, as we 
have already seen, St. Luke was the constant com- 
panion for several years. 

HI. As this account of St. Paul is not continued 
beyond his two years imprisonment at Rome, it is 
probable that this book was written soon after his 
release, which happened in the year 63 ; we may 
therefore consider the Acts of the Apostles as 
written about the year 64. 

IV. The place of its publication is more doubt- 
ful. The probability appears to be in favour of 
Greece, though some contend for Alexandria in 
Egypt. This latter opinion rests upon the subscrip- 
tions at the end of some Greek manuscripts, and 
of the copies of the Syriac version ; but the best 
critics think, that these subscriptions, which are 
also affixed to other books of the New Testament, 
M deserve 



242 Of the Axis of the Apostles. [part it, 

deserve but little weight ; and in this case they are 
not supported by any antient authority. 

V. It must have been of the utmost importance 
in the early times of the Gospel, and certainly not 
of less importance to every subsequent age, to have 
an authentic account of the promised descent of 
the Holy Ghost, and of the success which attended 
the first preachers of the Gospel both among the 
Jews and Gentiles. These great events completed 
the evidence of the divine mission of Christ, 
established the truth and universality of the re- 
ligion which he taught, and pointed out, in the 
clearest manner, the comprehensive nature of the 
redemption which he purchased by his death. 



[ ^43 ] 



PART II. 

CHAPTER THE SEVENTH. 

OF S T. P A U L. 

I. — History of St. Paul to his Conversion. — II. To 
the End of his First apostolical Journey . — III. To 
the Beginning of his Second apostolical Journey . — 
IV. To the End of his Second apostolical Journey. 
— V. To the End of his Third apostolical Journey : 
VI. To his Release from his First Imprisonment 
at Rome.— VII. To his Death.— Vlll. His Cha- 
racter, and Observations upon his Epistles. 

I. QT. PAUL (a) was born at Tarsus, the princi- 
pal city of Cilicia, and was by birth both a 
Jew and a citizen of Rome ( b). He was of the tribe 
of Benjamin, and of the sect of the Pharisees (c), 
In his youth he appears to have been taught the art 
of tent-making (d) ; but we must remember, that 
among the Jews of those days a liberal education 

was 

(a) In the Acts of the Apostles he is called Saul till the 
ninth verse of the thirteenth chapter, and afterwards he is 
always called Paul. No satisfactory reason has been assigned 
for this change. Vide Benson's History of Christianity, vol. 2. 
p. 23. and Lardner, vol. 6. p. 234. and the authors quoted by 
him. Perhaps the best conjecture is that of Bishop Pearce; 
" Saul, who was himself a citizen of Rome, probably changed 
his name, i. e. his Hebrew name, Saul, to the Roman name 
Paul, out of respect to this his first Roman convert, i. e. Ser- 
gius Paulus, Acts, c. 13. v. 7." Vide Pearce in loc. 

(b) Acts, c. 21. v. 39. c. 22. v. 25. 

(c) Philip, c. 3. v. 5. (d) Acts, c. 18. v. 3. 

M 2 



*44 Of S*' Paul- [part if, 

was often accompanied by instruction in some 
mechanical trade (e). It is probable that St. Paul 
laid the foundation of those literary attainments, 
for which he was so eminent in the future part 
of his life, at his native city of Tarsus (f) ; and he 
afterwards studied the Law of Moses, and the tra- 
ditions of the elders, at Jerusalem, under Gamaliel, 
a celebrated Rabbi (g). 

St. Paul is not mentioned in the Gospels ; nor 
is it known whether he ever heard our Saviour 
preach, or saw him perform any miracle. His name 

first occurs in the account given in the Acts 
°4* f the martyrdom of St. Stephen, to which 
he is said to have consented ( h) : he is upon that 
occasion called a young man, but we are no where 
informed what was then his precise age. The 
death of St. Stephen was followed by a severe 
persecution (i) of the church at Jerusalem, and 
Paul became distinguished among its enemies by 
his activity and violence (k). Not contented with 
displaying his hatred to the Gospel in Judsea, he 
obtained authority from the high priest to go to 
Damascus, and to bring back with him bound any 
Christians whom he might find in that city. As 

he was upon his journey thither, his mira- 
^' cuious conversion took place, the circum- 
stances of which are recorded in the Acts of the 
Apostles (I), and are frequently alluded to by 

himself in his Epistles (m ). TT c 

r s J II. Soon 

(e) Vide Doddridge's Note upon Acts, c. 18. v. 3. There 
was a maxim among the Jews, that " he who teaches not his 
son a trade, teaches him to be a thief." 

(f) Strabo, lib. 14. tells us, that at this time Tarsus was 
distinguished as a place of education. 

(g) Acts, c. 22. v. 4. (h) Acts, c. 8. v. 1. 

(1) This persecution is supposed to have lasted about four 
years, from the year 34 to 38. 

(k) Acts, c. 8. v. 3. (I) Acts, c. 9. v. 1, &c. 

(m) Gal. c. 1. v. 13. J Cor. c. 15. v. 9. 1 Tim. c. \. y. 12 
and 13. 



chap, vii.] Of St, Paul. 245 

IL Soon after St. Paul was baptized at Da- 
mascus, he went into Arabia (n) ; but we are not 
informed how long he remained there. He re- 
turned to Damascus, and being supernaturally 
qualified to be a preacher of the Gospel, he imme- 
diately entered upon his ministry in that city. 
The boldness and success with which he enforced 
the truths of Christianity, so irritated the unbe- 
lieving Jews, that they resolved to put him to 
death (0) ; but this design being known, the dis- 
ciples conveyed him privately out of Da- q 
mascus, and he went to Jerusalem. " ' 

The Christians of Jerusalem, remembering Paul's 
former hostility to the Gospel, and having no 
authentic account of any change in his sentiments 
or conduct, at first refused to receive him ; but being- 
assured by Barnabas (p) of Paul's real conversion, 
and of his exertions at Damascus, they acknow- 
ledged him as a disciple. He remained only fifteen 
days among them (q), and he saw none of the 
Apostles, except Peter and James. It is pro- 
bable that the other Apostles were at this time 
absent from Jerusalem, exercising their ministry at 

different 

(n) This journey into Arabia is not noticed in the Acts. 
It is mentioned by St. Paul himself, Gal. c. 1. v. 17. It seems 
equally doubtful, whether he preached at Damascus before he 
went into Arabia, and whether he preached while he was in 
Arabia, as Scripture is silent upon both points. St. Luke 
says, Acts, c. 9. v. 20. that he " straitway preached Christ," 
but he may possibly mean, after he returned from Arabia ; 
and some have thought, that it was ordered by Divine Pro- 
vidence, that there should be an interval of retirement and 
quiet between Paul's violent persecution of Christians and his 
zealous propagation of the Gospel. Nee hoc, say sSt. Jerome, 
segnitiEB apostoli deputandum, si frustra in Arabia merit ; seel 
quod aliqua dispensatio et Dei prseceptum merit, ut taceret. 
In Gal. c. l. v. 17. 

(0) Acts, c. 9. v. 23. 

(p) Acts, c, 9. v. 27. It does not appear in what manner- 
Barnabas was himself informed of Paul's conversion. 

(a) Gal. c, 1. v. 18. 

M3 



s 4 6 Of St. Paul [part I?, 

different places. The zeal with which Paul preached 
at Jerusalem had the same effect as at Damascus : 
he became so obnoxious to the Hellenistic Jews, 
that they began to consider how they might kill 
him (r), which when the brethren knew, they 
thought it right that he should leave the city. They 
accompanied him to Csesarea, and thence he went 
" into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, where he 
preached the faith, which once he destroyed (s)" 

Hitherto the preaching of St. Paul, as well as of 
the other Apostles and Teachers, had been confined 
to the Jews ; but the conversion of Cornelius, 
4 * the first Gentile convert, having convinced all 
the Apostles, that * to the Gentiles also God had 
granted repentance unto life," Paul was soon after 
conducted by Barnabas from Tarsus, which had 
probably been the principal place of his residence 
since he left Jerusalem, and they both began to 
4 * preach the Gospel to the Gentiles at Antioch(%). 
Their preaching was attended with great success. 
The first Gentile church was now established at 
Antioch ; and in that city, and at this time, the 
disciples were first called Christians (u). When 
these two Apostles had been thus employed about 
a year, a prophet called Agabus predicted an 
approaching famine, which would affect the whole 
land of Judsea. Upon the prospect of this cala- 
mity, the Christians of Antioch made a contribu- 
tion for their brethren in Judaea, and sent the 
44" money to the elders at Jerusalem by Paul and 
Barnabas (w). This famine happened soon after, 
in the fourth or fifth year of the emperor Claudius. 
It is supoosed that St. Paul had the vision, men- 
tioned 

(r) Acts, c. 9. v. 29. 

(s) Gal. c. 1. v. 21 and 23. (t) Acts, c. 11. f. 25. 

(u) Acts, c. 11. v. 26. Before tliis time they had been 
called Nazarenes and Galilasans. A particular sect of Chris- 
tians were afterwards called Nazarenes. 
N (w) Acts, c. 11. v. 28, &c. 



chap, vii.] Of St. Paul. 247 

tioned in the Acts (x), while he was now at Jeru- 
salem this second time after his conversion. 

Paul and Barnabas, having executed their com- 
mission, returned to Antioch, and soon after their 
arrival in that city they were separated, by the 
express direction of the Holy Ghost, from the 
other Christian teachers and prophets, for the 
purpose of carrying the glad tidings of the Gospel 
to the Gentiles of various countries (y). — Thus 
divinely appointed to this important office, 
they set out from Antioch, and preached the 45* 
Gospel successively at Salamis and Paphos, two 
cities of the Isle of Cyprus, at Perga in Pamphy- 
lia, Antioch in Pisidia, and at Iconium, Lystra, 
and Derbe, three cities of Lycaonia. They 
returned to Antioch in Syria, nearly by the 47- 
same route. 

This first apostolical journey of St. Paul, in 
which he was accompanied and assisted by Barna- 
bas, is supposed to have occupied about two years ; 
and in the course of it many, both Jews and Gen- 
tiles, were converted to the Gospel. The sermon 
which Paul preached at Antioch in Pisidia, the 
conversion of Sergius Paulus, the two miracles 
which Paul performed at Paphos and at Lystra, 
the persecutions which he and Barnabas suffered 
at different places from the unbelieving Jews, and 
other circumstances of the journey, are recorded 
in the Acts (z). 

III. Paul and Barnabas continued at Antioch 
a considerable time ; and while they were there, 
a dispute arose between them and some Jewish 
Christians of Judsea. These men asserted that the 
Gentile converts could not obtain salvation through 
the Gospel, unless they were circumcised ; Paul 
and Barnabas maintained the contrary opinion (a). 

This 

(x) Acts, c. 22. v. 17. (y) Acts, c. 13. v. I. 

(z) Acts, c. 13 and 14. (a) Acts, c. 15. v. 1 and 2. 

M 4 



H% Of St. Paul. [Vast p 

This dispute was carried on for some time with 
great earnestness ; and it being a question in which 
not only the present, but all future Gentile converts,, 
were concerned, it was thought right that Paul and 
Barnabas, with some others, should go up to Jeru- 
salem to consult the apostles and elders concerning 
it. — They passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, 
and upon their arrival at Jerusalem (b), a 
49* council was assembled for the purpose of dis 
cussing this important point. Peter and James the 
Less were present, and delivered their sentiments, 
which coincided with those of Paul and Barnabas ; 
and after much deliberation it was agreed, that 
neither circumcision, nor conformity to any part of 
the ritual law of Moses, was necessary in Gentile 
converts ; but that it should be recommended to 
them to abstain from certain specified things pro- 
hibited by that Law, lest their indulgence in them 
should give offence to their brethren of the circum- 
cision, who were still very zealous for the observ- 
ance of the ceremonial part of their antient religion. 
This decision, which was declared to have the 
sanction of the Holy Ghost, was communicated to 
the Gentile Christians of Syria and Cilicia by a 
letter written in the name of the apostles, elders, 
and whole church at Jerusalem, and conveyed by 
Judas and Silas, who accompanied Paul and Bar- 
nabas to Antioch for that purpose. 

Though the Mosaic institution was pronounced 
by this high authority not to be obligatory upon 
those who had embraced the Gospel, yet the 
attachment of the Jewish Christians to the rites 
and ceremonies, to which they had been so long 
accustomed, continued to be the cause of frequent 
dissensions in the church of Christ ; and we find 
that St. Paul, upon several occasions (c), subse- 
quent to the council at Jerusalem, conformed to 

the 

(b) Gal. c. 2.v. 1. 

(e) Acts, c. 16. v. 3. c. 21. v. 26, 



chap, vii J Of St. Paul. S49 

the Law of Moses, not indeed as a matter of ne- 
cessity, but in compliance with the prejudices of 
the Jews, and that he might make them better 
disposed to the reception of the Gospel; " And 
unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might 
gain the Jews (d)." 

Not long after Paul's return to Antioch, Peter 
came thither (e), and at first associated freely with 
the Gentile converts ; but he afterwards withdrew 
himself from them, through fear of incurring the 
displeasure of some Jewish Christians, who had 
come from Jerusalem. Paul publicly, and with 
great severity, reproved him for this instance of 
weakness or dissimulation, and pointed out the 
impropriety and inconsistency of such conduct. 
This circumstance, among many others, shews 
with what a jealous eye the Jewish Christians 
looked upon Heathen converts. 

IV. Paul, having preached a short time at An- 
tioch, proposed to Barnabas that they should visit 
the churches, which they had founded in different 
cities -(f). Barnabas readily consented ; but while 
they were preparing for the journey, there arose 
the disagreement between them already men- 
tioned (g), and which ended in their separation. In 
consequence of this dispute with Barnabas, Paul 
chose Silas for his companion, and they set out 
together from Antioch. They travelled through 
Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches, P 
and then came to Derbe and Lystra (h). Thence 
they went through Phrygia and Galatia, and being 
desirous of going into Asia Propria, or the Pro- 
consular Asia ( i), they were forbidden by the Holy 
Ghost. They therefore went into Mysia ; and not 

being 

(d) 1 Cor. c. 9. v. 20. (e) Gal. c. 2. v. 11. 

(f) Acts, c. 15. v. 36. (g) In the history of St. Mark. 

(h) Acts, c. 16. 

(i) That part of Asia in which are Ephesus, Miletus, &c, 
M 5 



250 Of St. Paul [part it. 

being permitted by the Holy Ghost to go into 
Bithynia, as they had intended, they went to Troas. 
While Paul was there, a vision appeared to him in 
the night, " There stood a man of Macedonia, and 
prayed him, sayings Come over into Macedonia} 
and help us." Paul knew this vision to be a com- 
mand from heaven, and in obedience to it imme- 
diately sailed from Troas to Samothracia, and the 
next day to Neapolis, a city of Thrace ; and thence 
he went to Philippi, the principal city of that part 
of Macedonia. Paul remained some time at Phi- 
lippi, preaching the Gospel ; and several occur- 
rences, which took place in that city, are recorded 
in the Acts (k). 

Thence he went through Amphipolis and Apol- 
lonia to Thessalonica (I), where he preached in the 
synagogues of the Jews on three successive sab- 
bath days. Some of the Jews, and many of the 
Gentiles of both sexes, embraced the Gospel ; but 
the unbelieving Jews, moved with envy and indig- 
nation at the success of St. Paul's preaching, 
excited a great disturbance in the city, and irritated 
the populace so much against him, that the bre- 
thren, anxious for his safety, thought it prudent to 
Send him to Bercea, where he met with a better 
reception than he had experienced at Thessalonica. 
The Bereeans heard his instructions with attention 
and candour, and having compared his doctrines 
with the antient Scriptures, and being satisfied 
that Jesus, whom he preached, was the promised 
Messiah, they embraced the Gospel ; but his 
enemies at Thessalonica, being informed of his 
success at Beroea, came thither, and by their 
endeavours to stir up the people against him, 
compelled him to leave that city also. 

He went thence to Athens (m). The inhabitants 

of 

(k) C. 16. v. 12, &c. (I) Acts, c. 17. 

(m) Acts, c. 17. v. 15. 



chap* TO.] ' Of St. Paul. 251 

of that once illustrious seat of learning are repre- 
sented as being at this time in the highest degree 
addicted to idolatry and superstition, and as passing 
their time in the most frivolous manner. St. Paul 
" disputed in the synagogue with the Jews, and 
with the devout persons, and in the market daily 
with them that met with him." Some of the stoic 
and epicurean philosophers, upon his preaching to 
them Jesus and the Resurrection, thought him 
a setter forth of strange gods, and accused him as 
such before the court of Areopagus, to which the 
cognizance of all religious controversies belonged* 
—Paul defended himself with great eloquence 
before this august assembly ; and in explaining the 
nature of the Gospel doctrines, he introduced the 
awful subject of the day of judgment, and appealed 
to our Saviour's restoration to life as a pledge and 
assurance that all men will hereafter rise from the 
dead : " And when they heard of the resurrection 
of the dead, some mocked, and others said, we will 
liear thee again of this matter ; so Paul departed 
from among them (n)." It does not appear that 
Paul was again summoned before the court of Are- 
opagus, or that those of its members, who expressed 
an intention of hearing him again, ever sent for 
him in private. — However, his preaching at Athens 
was not altogether ineffectual, for some of the 
Athenians were converted to the Gospel, and 
among the rest Dionysius the Areopagite (0), and 
a woman of distinction named Damaris. 

From Athens, Paul went to Corinth (p), and lived 
in the house of Aquila and Priscilla. two Jews,, 
who being compelled to leave Rome in conse- ° ' 
quence of Claudius's edict against the Jews, had 
lately settled at Corinth. St. Paul was induced 

to 

(n) Acts, c. 17. v. 32 and 33. 

(0) Acts,c. 17. v. 34. Eusebius mentions this Dionysius as 
the first bishop of Athens. (p) Acts, c. 18. 

M 6 



252 Of St. Paul. [Vast it, 

to take up his residence with them, because, like 
himself, they were tent-makers. At first he preached 
to the Jews in their synagogue ; but upon their 
violently opposing his doctrine, he declared that 
from that time he would preach to the Gentiles 
only (q) ; and accordingly he afterwards delivered 
his instructions in the house of one Justus, who 
lived near the synagogue, Among the few Jews 
who embraced the Gospel, were Crispus, the ruler 
of the synagogue, and his family ; and many of 
the Gentile Corinthians " hearing believed, and 
were baptized." Paul was encouraged in a vision 
to persevere in his exertions to convert the inhabi- 
tants of Corinth ; and although he met with great 
opposition and disturbance from the unbelieving 
Jews, and was accused by them before Gallio (r), 
the Roman governor of Achaia, he continued there 
a year and six months ( s), " teaching the word of 
God." During this time he supported himself by 
working at his trade of tent-making, that he might 
not be burthensome to the disciples. 

From Corinth Paul sailed into Syria, and thence 
he went to Ephesus. The Ephesians, upon hearing 
the Gospel explained by Paul, desired that he 
would continue with them ; but as it was necessary 
for him to keep the approaching feast at Jerusalem, 
he could not comply with their request ; however 
he promised that, with the permission of God, he 
would return to them. He sailed from Ephesus to 
Csesarea, and is supposed to have arrived at Jeru- 
salem just before the feast of Pentecost. After the 
feast he went to Antioch : and this was the conclu- 



(q) This declaration must be considered as confined to Co- 
rinth, for we find him afterwards preaching in many synagogues 
of the Jews at other places. 

(r) Gallio was the elder brother of Seneca the philosopher. 

(s) In this time he wrote his two Epistles to the Thessalo- 
nians ; and probably that to the Galatians. 



chap, vii .] Of St. Paul. 253 

sion of his second apostolical journey, in which 
he was accompanied by Silas ; and in part of ^' 
it, Luke and Timothy were also with him. 

V. Having made a short stay at Antioch, Paul 
set out upon his third apostolical journey. He pass- 
ed through Galatia ( t) and Phrygia, confirming the 
Christians of those countries ; and thence, ac- 
cording to his promise, he went to Ephesus ( u). ^' 
He found there some disciples, who had only been 
baptized with John's baptism : he directed that 
they should be baptized in the name of Jesus, and 
then he communicated to them the Holy Ghost. 
He preached for the space of three months in the 
synagogue ; but the Jews being hardened beyond 
conviction, and speaking reproachfully of the 
Christian religion before the multitude, he left 
them ; and from that time he delivered his instruc- 
tions in the school of a person called Tyrannus, 
who was probably a Gentile. Paul continued to 
preach in this place about two years (x), so that all 
the inhabitants of that part of Asia Minor " heard 
the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks." 
He also performed many miracles at Ephesus ; and 
not only great numbers of people were converted 
to Christianity, but many also of those who in this 
superstitious city used incantations and magical 
arts, professed their belief in the Gospel, and re- 
nounced 

(t) It is probable that St. Paul went into Galatia before he 
went to Ephesus, to learn what effect his Epistle to the Ga> 
iatians had produced, and to correct any errors which might 
still remain. Vide Gal. c. 4. v. 19 and 20. 

(u) Acts, c. 19. 

(x) During this stay of St. Paul at Ephesus, he wrote his 
first Epistle to the Corinthians, probably in the beginning of 
the year 56 ; and from this Epistle we learn that he supported 
himself by his own labour at Ephesus, as he had before done 
at Corinth, l Cor. c. 4. v. 11 and 12. He alludes to the 
game thing in his speech to the Ephesian elders at Miletus, 
Acts, c. 20. v. 34. 



254 Of St. Paul.' [part n. 

nounced their former practices by publicly burning 
their books. 

Such was the general success of Paul's preach- 
ing at Ephesus. But Demetrius, a silversmith, 
who sold models of the temple and image of Di- 
ana, observing the tendency of the Gospel to put 
an end to every thing connected with idolatry, re- 
presented to the workmen employed by him, and 
to others of the same occupation, that not only 
their trade would be ruined, which they knew by 
experience to be very lucrative, but also that the 
temple of their " great goddess Diana," the pride 
and glory of their city, would be brought into dis- 
credit and contempt, if Paul were permitted to 
propagate his doctrines, and to persuade the people 
'* that they be no gods, which are made with hands ; " 
these men, thus instigated both by interest and by 
superstition, raised a great tumult in the city, and 
probably would have proceeded to extremities 
against Paul and his companions, if the chief ma- 
gistrate had not interposed, and by his authority 
dispersed the multitude. 

Previous to this disturbance Paul had intended 
to continue at Ephesus till Titus should return, 
whom he had sent (y) to enquire into the state of 
the church at Corinth. He now thought it pru- 
dent to go from Ephesus (z) immediately ; and 
having taken an affectionate leave of the disciples, 
r. he set out for Troas (a), where he expected to 
9 ' meet Titus. Titus however from some cause 
which is not known, did not come to Troas, and 
Paul was encouraged to pass over into Macedonia, 
with the hope of making converts. He met Titus 
there (b), and sent him back (c), with several 

other 

(y) 2 Cor. c. 12. v. 18. (z) Acts, c. 20. 

(u) 2 Cor. c. 2. v. 12 and 13. (b) 2 Cor. c. 7. v. 6. 

. (c) St. Paul's second Epistle to the Corinthians was writ- 
ten at this time, and sent by Titus. 



chap, vi i i .] Of St. Paul. 255 

other persons, to apprize the Corinthians of his 
intention to visit them shortly. St. Paul, after 
preaching in Macedonia, and receiving from the 
Christians of that country liberal contributions for 
their poor brethren in Judsea, (d), went to Corinth, 
and remained there about three months (e). 
The Christians also of Corinth, and of the rest ^' ' 
of Achaia, contributed to the relief of their bre- 
thren in Judsea. 

St. Paul's intention was to have sailed from Co- 
rinth into Syria ; but being informed that some un- 
believing Jews, who had discovered his intention, 
lay in wait for him, he changed his plan, o 
passed through Macedonia, and sailed from § * 
Philippi to Troas in five days. He staid at Troas 
seven days, and preached to the Christians on the 
first (f) day of the week, the day on which they 

w r ere 

(d) 2 Cor. c. 8. v. 1. 

(e) Just before Paul left Corinth, he wrote his Epistle to 
the Romans, probably in the beginning of the } r ear 58. 

(f) It has been observed in a former part of this work, 
that immediately after the creation, " God blessed the seventh 
day and sanctified it," and thus ordained that every seventh 
day, or one day in seven, should be exempted from the ordi- 
nary cares and business of the world, and more immediately 
dedicated to religious uses and the service of God. This or- 
dinance, which, from the nature of its origin, must necessa- 
rily be binding upon all mankind, w T as repeated as one of the 
ten commandments given from Mount Sinai, which our Lord 
expressly declared to be of perpetual obligation. Matthew, 
c. 5. v. 17, l3, and 19. The strict observance of the seventh 
day, or sabbath, was enforced upon the Jewish nation by pe- 
culiar commands adapted to the general tenor of institutions 
designed to separate them from the rest of the world, and de- 
clared to be founded in circumstances peculiar to that people : 
" Remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, 
and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through 
a mighty hand, and by a stretched-out arm ; therefore the 
Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day." 
Deut. c. 5. y. 15. These positive injunctions, designed to 
commemorate their -deliverance from Egyptian bondage, 
which was " a shadow of things to come/ 1 Col. c. 2, v. 17. 



§56 Of St. Paul. [part ii, 

were accustomed to meet for the purpose of reli- 
gious worship. From Troas he went by land to 
Assos, and thence he sailed to Mitylene, and from 
Mitylene to Miletus. Being desirous of reaching 
Jerusalem before the feast of Pentecost, he could 
not allow time to go to Ephesus, and therefore he 
sent for the elders of the Ephesian church to Mile- 
tus (g), and gave them instructions, and prayed 
with them. He told them that he should see them 
no more, which impressed them with the deepest 
sorrow (h). From Miletus he sailed by Coos, 
Rhodes, and Patara in Lycia, to Tyre (i). Finding 
some disciples at Tyre, he staid with them several 
days, and then went to Ptolemais, and thence to 
Caesarea. While Paul was at Csesarea, the pro- 
phet 

were of a temporary nature, and ceased to be binding upon 
them when the Jewish law was abrogated by the coming of 
the Messiah ; and the Saviour of the world having risen from 
the dead on the first day of the week, that day was then ap- 
pointed to be set apart for the purpose of religious worship, 
according to the original institution at the creation, to com- 
memorate the emancipation of all mankind from the power 
of sin and death. The sacred writers do not mention that 
the Apostles received any express direction to make this 
change in the day which had been so long appropriated to the 
service of God; but as we know they acted by Inspiration on 
all occasions where religious doctrines or duties were con- 
cerned, it is impossible to doubt their authority upon this 
point ; and indeed this change seems clearly to have been 
sanctioned by the appearance of Christ in the midst of them, 
when they were assembled together, John, c. 20. v. 19. and 
by the descent of the Holy Ghost, both on the first day of the 
week. It is difficult to imagine circumstances more strikingly 
calculated to prove the universal and perpetual obligation 
of devoting " the seventh day," or one day in seven, as " holy to 
the Lord," and the abolition of the Jewish ritual by the esta- 
blishment of Christianity. 

(g) Miletus was about fifty miles to the south of Ephesus. 

(h) It is, however, highly probable that St. Paul was at 
Ephesus after his first imprisonment at Rome, as will appear 
when we consider the date of the first Epistle to Timothy. 

(i) Acts ; c. 21. 



chap, vil] Of St. Paul. 5257 

phet Agabus foretold by the Holy Ghost, that 
Paul, if he went to Jerusalem, would suffer much 
from the Jews. This prediction caused great un- 
easiness to Paul's friends, and they endeavoured 
to dissuade him from his intention of going thither. 
Paul, however, would not listen to their entreaties, 
but declared that he was ready to die at Jerusa- 
lem, if it were necessary, for the name of the Lord 
Jesus. Seeing him thus resolute, they desisted 
from their importunities, and accompanied him to 
Jerusalem, where he is supposed to have arrived 
just before the feast of Pentecost, a. d. 58. This 
may be considered as the end of St. Paul's third 
apostolical journey. 

VI. Paul was received by the Apostles and other 
Christians at Jerusalem with great joy and affec^ 
tion ; and his account of the success of his mini- 
stry, and of the collections which he had made 
among the Christians of Macedonia and Achaia, 
for the relief of their brethren in Judaea, afforded 
them much satisfaction ; but not long after his ar- 
rival at Jerusalem, some Jews of Asia, who had 
probably in their own country witnessed Paul's 
zeal in spreading Christianity among the Gentiles, 
seeing him one day in the temple, endeavoured to 
excite a tumult, by crying out, that he was the 
man who was aiming to destroy all distinction be- 
tween Jew and Gentile ; who taught things con- 
trary to the law of Moses ; and who had polluted 
the holy temple, by bringing unto it uncircumcised 
heathens ( k). This representation did not fail to 
enrage the multitude against Paul ; they seized him, 
dragged him out of the temple, beat him, and were 
upon the point of putting him to death, when he 
was rescued out of their hands by Lysias, a Roman 

tribune, 
(k) It was death for any Gentile to enter into that part. 
of the temple which was called the second court, or court of 
the Israelites. 



&5& Of St. Paul, [part ii* 

tribune, and the principal military officer then at 
Jerusalem. Lysias instantly bound Paul with two 
chains, concluding that he had been guilty of some 
heinous crime ; but the uproar was so great, that 
he could not learn who he was, or what he had 
done, and therefore he committed him to custody, 
that he might afterwards enquire into the nature of 
his offence. As he v/as conducting him to the castle 
Antonia (l)> Paul obtained permission from him 
to address the people : he began by stating to them 
his former attachment to the Law of Moses (m),. 
and his zealous persecution of the Christians; 
he then proceeded to relate the circumstances of 
his miraculous conversion ; and when he asserted 
that he was commissioned by God himself to 
announce salvation to the Gentiles through faith 
in the Messiah, they interrupted him with violent 
exclamations, shewed the strongest marks of indig- 
nation, and declared that he was not worthy to 
live. Lysias, observing the fury of the multitude* 
commanded that Paul should be carried into the 
castle, and examined by scourging. While the 
soldiers were binding him with thongs for that 
purpose, he informed the centurion who attended 
that he was a Roman citizen. The centurion went 
to the tribune, and advised him to be cautious in 
what he did to his prisoner, as he was a citizen of 
Home. This intelligence alarmed Lysias, who had 
already violated the privileges of a Roman citizen 
by binding Paul ( n) ; and he immediately desisted 
from his design of examining him by torture. 

The 

' (I) This castle was built by Herod the Great, and called 
Antonia from his friend Mark Antony ; it was afterwards 
made a garrison for the Romans, when Judsea became a Ro- 
man province, (m) Acts, c. 22. 

(n) Though a Roman citizen might not be bound with 
thongs by way of punishment, or in order to be scourged, yet 
he might be chained to a soldier, or kept in custody, if h§ 
were suspected of being guilty of any crime. 



chap, vii.] Of St. Paul. 259 

The next morning he " loosed him from his 
bands," and brought him before the Sanhedrim or 
Jewish council ( o) ; but great altercation and con- 
fusion arising, Lysias, fearing lest Paul should 
be pulled to pieces, again interposed with his sol- 
diers, and conducted him back to the castle. While 
Paul was asleep that night, Jesus appeared to him 
and said, " Be of good cheer, Paul ; for as thou 
hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear 
witness also at Rome (p)." The next day Lysias 
was informed that more than forty persons had 
entered into a conspiracy to assassinate Paul, and 
therefore he sent him the following evening under 
a strong guard to Cassarea, where Felix the Roman 
governor resided. Lysias wrote a letter to Felix, 
explaining the circumstances which originally in^ 
duced him to apprehend Paul, and now to send 
him to Caesarea. Five days after (q), Ananias the 
high priest, with the elders, and a certain orator or 
advocate named Tertullus, went to Csesarea for the 
purpose of accusing Paul before Felix. Tertullus 
stated the charges against him, and Paul made his 
defence. Felix having heard both of them, said 
that he would enquire more fully into the business 
when Lysias should come to Caesarea ; and in the 
mean time he commanded the centurion to keep 
Paul as a prisoner at large, and to allow his friends 
to have access to him. 

It does not appear that Felix ever took any 
farther step in this trial ; but not long after, he 
and his wife Drusilla (r), who was a Jewess, sent 
for Paul, to hear him " concerning the faith in 
Christ." Paul knew the characters of the persons 
before whom he was to speak, and enlarged upon 

such 

(o) Acts, c. 23. (p) C. 23. v. 11. (q) C. 24. 

(r) Drusilla was the daughter of the elder Agrippa/ and 
sister to king Agrippa and Berniee, before whom Paul after- 
wards pleaded . - ' . 



&6o Of St. Paul [part n, 

Such points as were likely to affect them : " and 
as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and 
judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, 
Go thy way for this time ; when I have a conve- 
nient season, I will call for thee." Felix was a man 
of profligate life and corrupt principles ; and this 
discourse of the Apostle, though it caused a tem- 
porary remorse of conscience, and excited some 
dread of future punishment, made no lasting im* 
pression upon his mind ; on the contrary, he fre- 
quently sent for Paul afterwards, not for the 
purpose of hearing the great truths of the Gospel 
explained and enforced, but with the hope that he 
would offer him money for his release. 

At the end of two years Felix resigned the 
government of Judsea to Portius Festus, and with 
a view of gratifying the Jews, he left Paul a pri- 
soner at Csesarea. Three days after Festus landed 
at Csesarea (s) he went up to Jerusalem ; and the 
high priest and the principal Jews, still retaining 
their malice, requested their new governor to send 
for Paul from Csesarea. Their intention was to 
have murdered him upon the road; but Festus 
refused to send for him, stating, that he should 
shortly return to Cassarea, and that he would try him 
there. In about ten days Festus went to Caesarea, 
and the day after his arrival, Paul was brought 
before him, and the Jews, who had come from Je- 
rusalem for that purpose, " laid many and grievous 
complaints against him, which they could not 
prove." Paul defended himself by declaring in 
a few simple words, that he had been guilty of no 
offence, either against the Law of Moses, or the 
authority of Csesar ; but Festus, wishing to ingra- 
tiate himself with the Jews, asked Paul, whether 
he were willing to be tried at Jerusalem ? he again 
asserted his innocence, and availing himself of his 

privilege 
($) Acts, c. 25, 



chap, vii.] Of St. Paul. 261 

privilege as a Roman citizen, appealed to the em- 
peror himself; and Festus, after some deliberation, 
informed him, that he should be sent to the em- 
peror, as he desired. 

Not long after, king Agrippa, with his sister 
Bernice, came to congratulate Festus upon his 
accession to the government of Judaea. Festus 
acquainted him with all the circumstances relative 
to Paul ; and Agrippa, expressing a desire to hear 
Paul, Festus promised that he should hear him the 
next day. Accordingly on the following morning* 
Paul was brought in bonds before Agrippa, Ber- 
nice, the military officers, and principal persons of 
the city. Festus represented to the assembly, that 
the Jews had laid very heavy charges against Paul, 
declaring that he was not worthy to live ; that he 
had himself found no guilt of that description in 
him, but upon his appealing to Caesar, he had 
determined to send him immediately to Rome; 
and that he had now brought him before them, 
and especially before Agrippa, that after examina- 
tion he might be enabled to state to the emperor, 
as it was his duty to do, the nature of the crimes 
alleged against him. Then Agrippa (t), who is 
said to have been well acquainted both with the 
Jewish and Roman laws, told Paul, that he was 
permitted to speak for himself. In the course of 
his defence, Paul argued so forcibly in support of 
the Gospel, and justified his own conduct in so 
satisfactory a manner, that Agrippa acknowledged 
himself almost persuaded to be a Christian, and 
declared that Paul might have been set at liberty, 
if he had not appealed unto Caesar. After an appeal 
was made to the emperor, the judge, from whom 
the appeal was made, could neither condemn nor 
release the prisoner. 

St. Paul 

(t) Acts, c. 26. 



262 Of St. Paul. [part ii 

r> St. Paul (u), and several other prisoners. 

were delivered to Julius, a centurion, to be 
conveyed to Rome (x). St. Luke has recorded the 
circumstances of this voyage : it was long and 
dangerous, and the vessel was wrecked upon the 
fi Isle of Melita (y ). No lives however were 

lost ; and Paul, upon his arrival at Rome, was 
committed to the care of the captain of the guard. 
The Scriptures do not inform us whether he was 
ever tried before Nero, who was at this time 
emperor of Rome ; and the learned (z) are much 
divided in their opinion upon that point. I am 
inclined to think, from the silence of St. Luke, 
that Paul was not now brought to any trial at 
Rome. St. Luke only says, " Paul was suffered 
to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him. 
And Paul dwelt two whole years (a) in his own 
hired house, and received all that came in unto 
him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching 
those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, 
with all confidence, no man forbidding him." Paul, 
during his confinement, converted some Jew T s 
resident at Rome, and many Gentiles, and among 
the rest, several persons belonging to the emperor's 
houshold (b). 

VII. The 

(u) There is no account of any epistle written by St. Paul 
during his long imprisonment in Judaea. This was not owing 
to any strictness in his confinement, for Felix " commanded 
a centurion to keep Paul, and to let him have liberty ; and that 
he should forbid none of his acquaintance to minister or come 
unto him." Acts, c. 24. v. 23. 

(x) Acts, c. 27. 

(y) Acts, c. 28. Vide Mr. Bryant's Essay. 

(z) Vide Lardner, vol. 6. p. 249. 

(a) During St. Paul's imprisonment at Rome, he wrote his 
Epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and to Phi- 
lemon ; and it is probable that he wrote his Epistle to the 
Hebrews soon after his release. 

( b) Philip, c. 4. v. 22. Chrysostom mentions a cup-bearer 
and a concubine of Nero, who were converted by St. Paul. 



• 



jc h a p . v 1 1 .] Of St. Paul 0g 

VII. The Scripture history ends with this re- 
lease of St. Paul from his two years imprisonment 
at Rome (c) ; and no antient author has left us « 
any particulars of the remaining part of this ^° 
Apostle's life. It seems probable, that immediately 
after he recovered his liberty, he went to Jeru- 
salem; and that afterwards he travelled through 
Asia Minor, Crete, Macedonia, and Greece, con- 
firming his converts, and regulating the affairs of 
the different churches which he had planted in 
those countries (d). Whether at this time he also 
preached the Gospel in Spain (e), as some have 
imagined, is very uncertain. It was the unanimous 
tradition of the church, that St. Paul returned to 
Rome ; that he underwent a second imprisonment 
there (f), and at last was put to death by the 

emperor 

( c) It is to be observed, that the Acts do not contain a com- 
plete history of St. Paul, even to this period : for before he wrote 
his second Epistle to the Corinthians, that is, before the year 
57, he had been five times scourged by the Jews, twice beaten 
with rods, and thrice shipwrecked, none of which circumstances 
are mentioned in the Acts. 

( d) St. Paul probably wrote his first Epistle to Timothy, 
and his Epistle to Titus, at this time, that is, between his first 
and second imprisonments at Rome. Some modern authors 
consider St. Paul as making two apostolical journies after 
the first of these imprisonments ; the first by way of Crete, 
through Judaea, to Antioch; the second, from Antioch, 
through Syria, Cilicia, Phrygia, Macedonia, and thence to 
Rome ; but I find no mention of these journies in any antient 
author. 

(e.) The opinion that St. Paul preached the Gospel in Spain 
probably arose from the following passage in his Epistle to the 
Romans. " Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will 
come to you," but we have no certain information whether 
he ever went into Spain or not. It seems, however, clear, 
that in the year 58 he intended to go thither ; but it should be 
remembered that this was five years before his release from im- 
prisonment. 

(f) St. Paul wrote his seond Epistle to Timothy during his 
second imprisonment at Rome. 



264 Of St. Paul. [part n, 

emperor Nero. Tacitus (g) and Suetonius (h) 
have mentioned a dreadful fire which happened at 
Rome in the time of Nero. It was believed, though 
probably without any reason, that the emperor 
himself was the author of that fire ; but to remove 
the odium from himself, he chose to attribute it to 
the Christians ; and to give some colour to that 
unjust imputation, he persecuted them with the 
utmost cruelty. In this persecution Peter and Paul 
suffered martyrdom, probably in the year 65 ; and 
if we may credit Sulpitius Severus, a writer of the 
fifth century, the former was crucified, and the 
latter beheaded (i). 

VIII. St. Paul was a person of great natural 
abilities, of quick apprehension, strong passions, 
firm resolution, and irreproachable life : he was 
conversant with Grecian ( k) and Jewish literature ; 
and gave early proofs of an active and zealous 
disposition. If we may be allowed to consider his 
character, independent of his supernatural endow- 
ments, we may pronounce that he was well quali- 
fied to have risen to distinction and eminence, 
and that he was by nature peculiarly adapted to the 
high office to which it pleased God to call him. As 
a minister of the Gospel, he displayed the most 

unwearied 

(g) Tac. Ann. lib. 15. cap. 44. 

(h) Suet. Nero, cap. 38. 

(i) Lib. 2. cap. 41. 

(k) St. Paul is the only writer of the New Testament who 
has quoted any Greek profane author ; the apophthegm in the 
fifteenth chapter of the first Epistle to the Corirfthians, 

<J>0etgownv bQn X^rtf hfAihuu xa.«.ai y 
is an iambic from Menander; and the character of the Cre- 
tans, in the first chapter of the Epistle to Titus, 

Kfimr aei -I'SvtrTa.i, nay.* Qngia, yacrrepq agyat, 

is an hexameter from Epimenides. St. Paul also quoted Ara- 
tus in his speech at Athens, as recorded by St. Luke in the 
seventeenth chapter of the Acts : 

Ta yae scat ysvoq Scr/wey. 






chap, vii.] Of St. Paul. 265 

unwearied perseverance and undaunted courage. 
He was deterred by no difficulty or danger, and 
endured a great variety of persecutions with pa- 
tience and cheerfulness. He gloried in being 
thought worthy of suffering for the name* of Jesus, 
and continued with unabated zeal to maintain the 
truth of Christianity against its bitterest and most 
powerful enemies. He was the principal instru- 
ment under Providence of spreading the Gospel 
among the Gentiles ; and we have seen that his 
labours lasted through many years, and reached 
over a considerable extent of country. Though 
emphatically styled the great Apostle of the Gen- 
tiles, he began his ministry in almost every city 
by preaching in the synagogue of the Jews (I) ; 
and though he owed by far the greater part of his 
persecutions to the opposition and malice of that 
proud and obstinate people, whose resentment he 
particularly incurred by maintaining that the Gen- 
tiles were to be admitted to an indiscriminate 
participation of the benefits of the new dispensa- 
tion ( m), yet it rarely happened in any place, that 
some of the Jews did not yield to his arguments, 
and embrace the Gospel. He watched with pater- 
nal care over the churches which he had founded, 
and was always ready to strengthen the faith, and 
regulate the conduct of his converts, by such 
directions and advice as their circumstances 
might require. 

The exertions of St. Paul in the cause of Chris- 
tianity were not confined to personal instruction : 
he also wrote fourteen Epistles to individuals or 
churches, which are now extant, and form a part 
of our canon. In these letters of the Apostle, there 
are those obscurities and difficulties which belong 

to 

(I) The Jews were at this time so dispersed throughout the 
• world, that there was scarcely any considerable city in which 
they had not a synagogue. 

(m) Vide Paley's Horse Paul. c. 3. n. 1. 

N 



266 Of St. Paul [part iu 

to epistolary writing. Many circumstances are 
mentioned with brevity, and many opinions and 
facts are barely alluded to, as being well known 
to the persons whom he addresses, but which it is 
very difficult at this distant period to discover and 
ascertain. He does not formally announce the 
subjects which he means to discuss ; he enters upon 
them abruptly, and makes frequent transitions 
without any intimation or notice ; he answers ob- 
jections without stating them, and abounds in 
parentheses, which are not always easily discerned. 
Perspicuity, indeed, and a strict adherence to the 
rules of composition, were scarcely compatible 
with the fervour of his imagination and the rapidity 
of his thoughts. " He is," says Mr. Locke, " full 
of the matter he treats ; and writes with warmth, 
which usually neglects method, and those par- 
titions and pauses, which men educated in the 
schools of rhetoricians usually observe." There is, 
however, a real connection and coherence in all 
his writings ; and his reasoning, although it may 
sometimes seem to be desultory, will always be 
found to be correct and convincing (n). Instead of 
the beauties which arise from a nice arrangement 
of words, an harmonious cadence of periods, and 
an artificial structure of sentences, we have a style 
at once concise and highly figurative, and a strik- 
ing peculiarity and uncommon energy of language, 

Whenever 
(n) " St. Paul, I am apt to believe/' says Dr. Paley, " has 
been sometimes accused of inconclusive reasoning, by our 
mistaking that for reasoning which was only intended for 
illustration. He is not to be read as a man, whose own per- 
suasion of the truth of what he taught always or solely depended 
upon the views under which he represents it in his writings. 
Taking for granted the certainty of his doctrine, as resting upon 
the Revelation that had been imparted to him, he exhibits it 
frequently to the conception of his readers, under images and 
allegories, in which, if any analogy may be perceived, or even 
sometimes a poetic resemblance be found, it is all perhaps 
that is required." Horae Paul. p. 210. 



chap, vii.] Of St. Paul. 267 

Whenever he speaks of the doctrines and excel- 
lency of the Christian religion, enlarges upon the 
nature and attributes of the Deity, or terrifies with 
the dread of divine judgments, his style rises with 
the subject; and while our minds are impressed 
with the justness and the dignity of the sentiments, 
we cannot but admire the force and sublimity of 
the expressions. Though he never departs from 
the authority of the apostolic character, yet the 
sensibility of his own heart frequently leads him 
to appeal to the feelings and affections of those 
to whom he writes ; and the zeal of his temper is 
so constantly apparent throughout his Epistles, 
that no one can read them with attention, without 
catching some portion of that fire by which he 
was animated. 



N 2 



[ 268 ] 

PART IL 

CHAPTER THE EIGHTH. 

OF THE 

GENUINENESS AND ARRANGEMENT 

OF 

ST. PAUL'S EPISTLES. 

(~)E the fourteen Epistles ascribed to St. Paul (a) 
in our canon, the first thirteen have, in all 
ages of the Church, been universally acknowledged 
to be written by the Apostle. Some doubts have 
been entertained, as we shall see hereafter, con- 
cerning the Epistle to the Hebrews. As the testi- 
monies in favour of the Genuineness of these thir- 
teen Epistles are nearly the same, I shall, to avoid 
repetition, state them all at once ; and I am the 
more inclined to do this, because the style of these 
different Epistles is so exactly the same, and of so 
peculiar a kind ( b), that whatever proves any one 
of them to be genuine, may be considered as 
a proof of the Genuineness of them all. 

Clement of Rome expressly ascribes the first 
Epistle to the Corinthians to St. Paul, and it 
is quoted by Polycarp ; Ignatius and Polycarp 

both 

(a) The learned are not agreed whether these be the only 
Epistles which St. Paul wrote. I am inclined to think they 
are, as no other Epistle written by this Apostle is quoted or 
referred to by any of the Fathers. 

(b) VidePaley's Horae Paul. c. 1. p. 16. 



CHAP, vin.] Of St. PauFs Epistles. 269 

both, quote the Epistle to the Ephesians; and 
Polycarp also quotes the Epistle to the Philip- 
pians. Besides these quotations, all the thirteen 
Epistles, except the short one to Philemon, are 
plainly referred to by one or more of the aposto- 
lical Fathers, although they do not say that they 
were written by St Paul. Justin Martyr does 
not quote by name any one of St. Paul's Epistles ; 
but there are passages in his remaining works, 
which may be considered as allusions to seven of 
them ; namely, to the Epistle to the Romans, to 
the first of the Corinthians, to the Galatians, Ephe- 
sians, Philippians, Colossians, and second of the 
Thessalonians. Athenagoras quotes the first Epistle 
to the Corinthians. Theophilus of Antioch refers 
to the Romans, to the first and second of the Co- 
rinthians, to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 
first of Timothy, and Titus. All the thirteen Epis- 
tles, except that to Philemon, are quoted by Ire- 
naeus, Clement of Alexandria, and Cyprian ; and 
all, without any exception, are quoted by Tertul- 
lian, Origen, Dionysius of Alexandria, Eusebius, 
Athanasius, Epiphanius, Jerome, Augustine, and 
Chrysostom. These writers reach from the days 
of the Apostles to the end of the fourth century, 
and are amply sufficient to establish the Genuine- 
ness of these Epistles. It is unnecessary to 
enumerate writers of a later date. 

The brevity of the Epistle to Philemon, and the 
private nature of its subject, account for its not 
being quoted so early or so frequently as the other 
Epistles of St. Paul. It appears from the above 
statement, that Tertullian is the earliest author who 
mentions this Epistle ; but he tells us, that it was 
received by Marcion, who lived in the beginning 
of the second century. It was always inserted in 
every catalogue of the books of the New Testament ; 
and, short as it is, it bears strong internal marks 
of being the genuine production o£ St Paul. 

n 3 The 



270 Of St. Paul's Epistles. [part 11. 

The respective dates of these Epistles will be 
considered when we speak of them separately ; but 
in the mean time we may observe, that they are not 
placed in our Bibles (c) in the order in which they 
were written. The Epistles to whole churches are 
placed before those which are addressed to par- 
ticular persons. The Epistle to the Romans is 
placed first, probably because, when the Gospel 
w T as propagated, Rome was the mistress of the 
world. The Epistles to the Corinthians are placed 
next* because Corinth was at that time the capital 
of Greece. Then comes the Epistle to the Gala- 
tians, who were not the inhabitants of a single 
city, but of a country in Asia Minor, in which 
several churches had been founded. This is fol- 
lowed by the Epistle to the Ephesians, Ephesus 
being the principal city xrf Asia Minor. Philippi 
was a Roman colony, which might, perhaps, cause 
the Epistle to the Philippians to be placed before 
those to the Colossians and Thessalonians, whose 
cities were not distinguished by any particular 
circumstance. The Epistles to Timothy have the 
precedence among those which are written to 
individuals, because there are two of them; or, 
because they are the longest ; or, because Timothy 
was a frequent and favourite companion of St. Paul. 
Then follows the Epistle to Titus, who was a 
preacher of the Gospel; and the Jast of these 
Epistles is that to Philemon, who was probably 
a private Christian. The Epistle to the Hebrews 
seems to have been placed the last of all St. PauFs 
Epistles, because, as was just now observed, some 
doubts were at first entertained whether it were 
really written by that Apostle. 

(c) The order of these Epistles is different in different; 
Greek MSS, 



[ 271 ] 
PART II. 

CHAPTER THE NINTH. 

OF THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS. 

L Date and oilier Circumstances of this Epistle. — 

II. The Introduction of the Gospel into Rome. — 

III. Design and Substance of this Epistle. 

I. HTHIS Epistle was written from Corinth, a. d. 
58, being the fourth year of the emperor 
Nero, just before St. Paul set out for Jerusalem 
with the contributions, which the Christians of 
Macedonia and Achaia had made for the relief of 
their poor brethren in Judaea (a). It was tran- 
scribed, or written, as St. Paul dictated it, by 
Tertius ( b) ; and the person who conveyed it to 
Rome was Phoebe ( c), a deaconess of the church 
at Cenchrea, which was the eastern part of the city 
of Corinth. It is addressed to the church at Rome, 
which consisted partly of Jewish, and partly of 
Heathen converts; and throughout the Epistle it 
is evident that the Apostle has regard to both 
these descriptions of Christians. 

II. St. Paul, when he wrote this Epistle, had 
not been at Rome ( d), but he had heard an ac- 
count of the state of the church in that city from 

Aquila 

(a) Rom. c. 15. v. 25 and 26. Acts, c 20. v. 1. 

(b) Rom. c. 16. v. 22. (c) Rom. c. 16. v. 1. 
(d) Rom. c. 1. v. 13. c. 15. v. 23. 

N 4 



272 Of the Epistle to the Romans, [part 11. 

Aquila and Priscilla, two Christians who were 
banished from thence by the edict of Claudius, and 
with whom he lived during his first visit to Corinth. 
Whether any other apostle had at this time 
preached the Gospel at Rome, cannot now be 
ascertained. Among those who witnessed the effect 
of the first effusion of the Holy Ghost, are men- 
tioned, " strangers of Rome, Jews and prose- 
lytes (e)" that is, persons of the Jewish religion, 
who usually resided at Rome, but who had come 
to Jerusalem to be present at the feast of Pente- 
cost. It is highly probable that these men, upon 
their return home, proclaimed the Gospel of 
Christ ; and we may further suppose that many 
Christians, who had been converted in other 
places, afterwards settled at Rome, and were the 
cause of others embracing the Gospel (/). 

III. But by whatever means Christianity had 
been introduced into Rome, it seems to have flou- 
rished there in great purity ; for we learn from the 
beginning of this Epistle, that the faith of the Ro- 
man 

(e) Acts, c. 2. v. 10. 

(f) " It may seem," says Mr. Milner, in his Ecclesiastical 
History, " to have been purposely appointed by infinite wis- 
dom, that our first accounts of the Roman church should be 
very imperfect, in order to confute the proud pretensions to 
universal dominion which its bishops have, with unblushing 
arrogance, supported for so many ages. If a line or two in 
the Gospels, concerning the keys of St. Peter, has been made 
the foundation of such lofty pretensions in his supposed suc- 
cessors to the primacy, how would they have gloried if his 
labours at Rome had been so distinctly celebrated, as those of 
St. Paul in several churches ? What bounds would have been 
set to the pride of ecclesiastical Rome, could she have boasted 
of herself as the mother church, like Jerusalem, or even ex- 
hibited such trophies of scriptural fame, as Phihppi, Thesaa- 
lonica, Corinth, or Ephesus. The silence of Scripture is the 
more remarkable, because the church itself was in an early 
period by no means insignificant, either for the number ox 
piety of its converts; their ' faith was spoken of through the- 
whole world.' Romansj c. 1. v. 8." Vol. 1. sect, 12. 



x hap. ix*] Of the Epistle to the Romans, 273 
man Christians was at this time much pelebrated (g). 
To confirm them in that faith, and to guard them 
against the errors of Judaizing Christians, was the 
object of this letter, in which jO>t. Paul takes occa- 
sion to enlarge upon the nature of the Mosaic in- 
stitution ; to explain the fundamental principles 
and doctrines of Christianity ; and to shew that 
the whole human race, formerly divided into Jews 
and Gentiles, were now to be admitted into the 
religion of Jesus, indiscriminately, and free from 
every other obligation. 

The Apostle, after expressing his affection for the 
Roman Christians, and asserting that the Gospel 
is the power of salvation to all who believe, takes 
a comprehensive view of the conduct and condition 
of men under the different dispensations of Provi- 
dence ; he shews that all mankind, both Jews and 
Gentiles, were equally " under sin," and liable to 
the wrath and punishment of God ; that therefore 
there was a necessity for an universal propitiation 
and redemption, which were now offered to the 
whole race of men, without any preference or ex- 
ception, by the mercy of him who is God of the 
Gentiles as well as of the Jews ; that faith in Jesus 
Christ, the universal Redeemer, was the only means 
of obtaining this salvation, which the deeds of the 
Law were wholly incompetent to procure (h) ; that 
as the sins of the whole world originated from the 
disobedience of Adam, so the justification from 
those sins was to be derived from the obedience of 
Christ (i) ; that all distinction between Jew and 
Gentile was now abolished, and the ceremonial law 
entirely abrogated ; that the unbelieving Jews would 
be excluded from the benefits of the Gospel, while 
the believing Gentiles would be partakers of them ; 
and that this rejection of the Jews, and call of the 
Gentiles, were predicted by the Jewish prophets 

Hosea 

{g) Rom. c. 1. v. 8. (h) First four chapters, (i) C. 5, 
N5 



2 74 Qf tfe Epistle to the Romans, [pabt 11, 
Hosea and Isaiah. He then points out the superi- 
ority of the Christian over the Jewish religion, and 
earnestly exhorts the Romans to abandon every 
species of wickedness, and to practise the duties 
-of righteousness and holiness, which were now en- 
joined upon higher sanctions, and enforced by more 
powerful motives ( k). In the latter part of the 
Epistle, St. Paul gives some practical instructions, 
and recommends some particular virtues ; and he 
concludes with salutations and a doxology. 

This Epistle is very valuable, on account of the 
arguments and truths which it contains, relative to 
the necessity, excellence, and universality of the 
Gospel dispensation. 

( k) Sixth and five following chapters. 




CHAPTER THE TENTH. 

OF THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE 
CORINTHIANS. 

L State of- the Church at Corinth. — II. Date of 
this Epistle, and Occasion of its being turitten. — 
III. Its Contents. 

I. r^ORINTH, situated on the Isthmus which 
joins Peloponnesus to the rest of Greece, 
was at this time a place of extensive commerce, 
and the capital of the Roman province of Achaia. 
Near it were celebrated the Isthmian Games, to 
which the Apostle alludes in this Epistle. Its in- 
habitants were a very licentious and profligate 
people, and were great admirers of the sceptical 
philosophy of the Greeks. We have seen that 
St. Paul, in his first journey upon the continent of 
Europe, resided at Corinth about eighteen months, 
and that he planted a church there, which con- 
sisted chiefly of converts from heathenism. After 
he left this city, some false teachers, who are sup- 
posed to have been Jews by birth, endeavoured to 
alienate the converts from their attachment to 
him and his doctrine, by calling in question the 
authority of his mission, and by ridiculing the plain 
and simple style in which he delivered his instruc- 
tions. They recommended themselves to their 
hearers by shewing indulgence to their prejudices 
and vicious propensities, and by using those artifi- 
cial ornaments of eloquence which had great effect 
n 6 upon 



276 Of the First Epistle [part it, 

upon their minds. Hence arose divisions and 
other irregularities among the Corinthian Chris- 
tians, totally inconsistent with the genuine spirit 
of the Gospel. 

II. Thi s Epistle (a) was written from Ephesus ( b) 
in the beginning of the year 56, during the Apostle's 
second visit to that city, in the second year of 
Nero's reign, and about three years after St. Paul 
had left Corinth. The immediate occasion of its 
being written was to answer some questions which 
the Corinthians had in a letter proposed to St. Paul ; 
but before he enters upon that subject, he takes 
notice of the abuses and disorders which prevailed 
in the church at Corinth, and of which he had re- 
ceived private information (c) y although they do 
not seem to have been mentioned or alluded to in 
the public. letter. This letter is not now extant. 

III. The Apostle begins with an affectionate ad- 
dress to the Corinthians, and with congratulations 
upon their having received the Holy Ghost (d). 
He then exhorts to harmony and union, and con- 
demns the parties and factions into which they had 
formed themselves ; he vindicates his own charac- 
ter, justifies the manner in which he had preached 

the 

(a) Some learned men have thought, from I Cor. c. 5. v. g. 
that St. Paul wrote an Epistle to the Corinthians, before he 
wrote this. It is certain that no such Epistle is quoted or 
alluded to by any antient author now extant; and therefore 
others have supposed, which seems more probable, that in that 
passage St. Paul referred to the former part of this Epistle. 
Vide Jones's New Method, and Lardner at the end of vol. 6. 

(b) 1 Cor. c. 16. v. 8. Vide Paley's Hor. Paul. c. 3. n. 12. 
The postscript or subscription to this Epistle, as printed in 
our Bibles, states that this Epistle was written from Philippi ; 
but those postscripts make no part of the apostolical writings, 
and are not to be depended upon. 

(c) 1 Cor. c. 1. v. 1 1 and 12. and c. 5. v. 1. 

(d) C. 1. v. 1 to 9. 



chap. X.] to the Corinthians. 277 

the Gospel to them, and shews the futility of all 
human learning, when compared with the excel- 
lency of the Gospel of Christ (e). He orders that 
a man, who had married his father's wife, should 
be publicly excommunicated ; and directs the 
Corinthians not to associate with any person of 
a notoriously wicked life (f) ; he blames them for 
carrying their disputes before heathen courts of 
judicature, and advises them to settle their differ- 
ences among themselves ; he condemns the sin of 
fornication, and cautions them against indulgence 
in sensual pleasures, to which the Corinthians in 
general were addicted in the highest degree (g). 

After discussing these points, St. Paul proceeds 
to answer the questions which the Corinthians had 
put to him ; and he begins with those relative to 
the marriage state, upon which subject he gives 
a variety of directions ( h) ; he next considers the 
lawfulness of Christians eating the meat of sacri- 
fices which had been offered to heathen idols (i), 
and warns them against making the liberty, which 
he allows, an occasion of giving offence ; he asserts 
his right as an Apostle to a maintenance from his 
disciples, although he had never accepted any 
money from the Corinthian converts ; and because 
the false teachers had contrived to make this dis- 
interestedness a ground of reproach to St. Paul, 
he points out the superior motives by which the 
ministers of the Gospel were animated to bear the 
hardships of their ministry, above those which in- 
duced the Greeks to submit to the labour of con* 
tending at their public games (k). He directs that 
women should not pray or prophesy in public un- 
veiled ; and by this subject he is led to speak of 
some irregularities of which the Corinthians had 
been guilty in celebrating the Lord's Supper, but 

which 
(e) C. 1. v. 10, to the end of c. 4. (f) C. 5. 

(g)C6. WC. 7 . rOC 8. (k)C.g. 



278 Of the First Epistle, Sec [part 11. 

which were probably not noticed in the letter to 
the Apostle ; and he afterwards gives an account 
of the institution of that sacrament (I). He then 
discourses concerning spiritual gifts, and explains 
the nature and extent of Christian charity (m) * r 
he enumerates the proofs of Christ's resurrection, 
deduces from it the certainty of the general resur- 
rection of the dead, and in a forcible strain of elo- 
quence answers some objections which were urged 
against that fundamental doctrine of the Gospel (n). 
In the last chapter, St. Paul gives directions con- 
cerning the collections to be made for the poor 
Christians of Judaea, promises to visit the Corin- 
thians, and concludes with friendly admonitions 
and salutations (0). 

From this summary account, it appears that this 
Epistle relates principally to the then state of the 
church at Corinth ; but the truths and instructions 
which it contains, are of the greatest importance 
to the Christians of every age and country. 

It was sent to Corinth by Titus, who was directed 
to bring an account to St. Paul of the manner in 
which it was received by the Corinthians. 

. (I) C. 10 and 11. Cm) C. 12, 13 and 14. 

(n) C. 15. (o) C. 16. 



C 279 3 



PART II. 



CHAPTER THE ELEVENTH. 

OF THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE 
CORINTHIANS. 

I. The Occasion of this Epistle being loritten.— 
II. The Date and Substance of it. 

I. TT has been related in the history of St. Paul, 
that soon after the riot occasioned by Deme- 
trius, Paul left Ephesus, went to Troas, and thence 
into Macedonia, where he met Titus, who was just 
come from Corinth, whither he had been sent by 
Paul with his first Epistle, and with directions to 
enquire into the state of the church in that city. 
From Titus, Paul learned that his letter was well 
received by the Corinthian Christians ;■ that the 
greater part of them had expressed much concern 
for their past behaviour ; that they had given full 
proof of their attachment to him (a) ; and in parti- 
cular that they had, in obedience to his commands, 
excommunicated the person who had been guilty 
of an incestuous marriage; but that some of them 
^till adhered to the false teachers, who continued 
to deny Paul's apostolical mission, and used every 
other means in their power to lessen his credit 
with the Corinthians. 

St. Paul's former letter having produced these 

good 

(a) 2 Cor. c. 7. v 7—9. 



2'8o Of the Second Epistle [paht |i. 

good effects among the Corinthians, he thought it 
expedient to write to them again, for the purpose 
of confirming them in their right conduct, and to 
give them some farther advice and instruction, 
especially with reference to the attempts which 
were still making to pervert their faith, and of 
which he had lately received a circumstantial 
account from Titus. 

II. This second Epistle to the Corinthians was 
written from Macedonia ( b), within twelve months 
after the first, and probably in the beginning of the 
year 57 ; and it was sent to Corinth by Titus, who, 
with other persons, was returning thither to for- 
ward the collections in Achaia for the poor Chris- 
tians of Judeea. 

Paul writes in his own name, and in that of 
Timothy, who was now with him in Macedonia ; 
and addresses not only the Christians of Corinth, 
but of all Achaia (c ) ; he begins with speaking of the 
consolations which he had experienced under his 
sufferings, and of the sincerity and zeal with which 
he had preached the Gospel (d) ; he explains the 
reason of his not having performed his promise of 
visiting the Corinthians, and assures them the de- 
lay had proceeded not from levity or fickleness, as 
perhaps his enemies had represented, but from 
tenderness towards his converts at torinth, to give 
them time to reform, and that there might be no 
occasion for treating them with severity when he 
saw them (e) ; he notices the case of the incestuous 
person, and on account of his repentance desires 
that he may be forgiven, and restored to commu- 
nion with the church (f) ; he mentions the success 
with which he had preached (g)\ he enlarges 

upon 

(b) 2 Cor. c. 7. v. 4, &c. c. 9. t. 2, &c. 

(c) C. l. v. 1 and 2. (d) Ver. 3 to 14. 
(e) C. 1. v. 15. to c. 2. r. 5. (f) C. 2. r. 6 to 12. 
(g) C. 2. v. 13 to the end. 



chap xi.] to the Corinthians. 281 

upon the importance of the ministerial office, the 
zeal and faithfulness with which he had discharged 
his duty, and the excellence of the Gospel doc- 
trines ( h) ; he cautions them against connexions 
with unbelievers, he expresses great regard for the . 
Corinthians ; declares that he had felt much anx- 
iety and concern on account of the irregularities 
which had prevailed among them; and that he 
rejoiced very much upon being informed of their 
penitence and amendment (i); and he exhorts 
them to contribute liberally for the relief of their 
poor brethren in Judsea (k). In the latter part of 
the Epistle he again vindicates his character as an 
Apostle, and enumerates the various species of 
distresses and persecutions which he had under- 
gone in the cause of Christianity. He concludes 
with general exhortations, and the well-known 
benediction in the name of the Father, the Son, 
and the Holy Ghost (I). 

(h) C.3. v. 1. toc.6. v. 13. (i) C. 6.v. 14. toendofc.7. 
(k) C, 8 and 9. (I) C. 10 to the end. 



[ 282 ] 

PART II. 

» 
CHAPTER THE TWELFTH. 

OF THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 

I. Date of this Epistle. — II. Design and Substance 
of it. 

I. HTHE country of Galatia was part of Asia 
Minor, and derived its name from the Gauls, 
who, about 240 years before Christ, took posses- 
sion of it by force of arms, and settled there. 

There is great difference of opinion among the 
learned concerning the date of this Epistle, some 
supposing that it was written as early as the year 
52, and others as late as the year 58. There is, 
however, an expression in the beginning, which 
appears to fix its date with a considerable degree of 
probability : -* I marvel," says the Apostle, " that 
ye are so soon removed from him, that called you 
into the grace of Christ, unto another Gospel." 
This passage seems to prove, that the Epistle was 
written soon after the Galatians were converted to 
Christianity. We have seen in the history of St. 
Paul, that he preached in Galatia in the year 51, 
in the course of his second apostolical journey ; 
and again in the year 53, in his third journey. No 
mention is made in this Epistle of St. Paul having 
been twice in Galatia, and therefore I conclude 
that it was written in the interval between his two 
visits, and most probably in the year 52, while he 
was at Corinth ; or it might have been written, as 

Michaelis 



chap, xii.] Of the Epistle to the Galatians. 283 

Michaelis thinks, in Macedonia, before Paul went 
to Corinth. 

II. Not long after St. Paul had converted the 
Galatians to the belief of the Gospel, some Judaiz- 
ing Christians endeavoured, with considerable suc- 
cess, to persuade them of the necessity of being 
circumcised, and of observing the law of Moses; 
for this purpose they urged, though without any 
foundation, the authority of the Apostles and Elders 
at Jerusalem ; they represented Paul as having only 
an inferior commission, derived from the church at 
Jerusalem, and that even he, in certain cases, had 
allowed of circumcision. The object of this Epistle, 
which is written in a strain of angry complaint, was 
to counteract the impression made by these false 
teachers, and to re-establish the Galatians in the 
true Christian faith and practice. 

St. Paul begins, after a salutation in the name 
of himself and all the brethren who were with him, 
by asserting his apostolical mission ; he shews from 
a brief history of his life, that he learnt the Gospel 
not from man, but by immediate revelation from 
God ; and that he entered upon his ministry by 
divine appointment, without receiving any instruc- 
tion or authority from those who were Apostles 
before him, or at first holding any communication 
with them ; that he afterwards conferred with the 
heads of the church at Jerusalem, and was by them, 
upon the fullest conviction, acknowledged to be an 
apostle through the especial grace of God. St. Paul 
having thus proved the independency and divine 
original of his mission, and that he was "not a whit 
behind the very chiefest of the Apostles (a)" pro- 
ceeds to refute the imputation of inconsistency with 
which he had been charged, by stating that he had 
not compelled his convert and companion Titus, who 
was a Greek, to be circumcised, and by shewing that 
he had uniformly resisted the Judaizing Christians, 

and 
(a) 2 Cor.c. 11. v. 5. 



284 Of the Epistle to the Galatians. [part it, 
and in particular that he had withstood and reproved 
Peter at Antioch, who, through fear of the Jewish 
Christians, had refused to associate with heathen 
converts ; he contends, that he had always main- 
tained that the Gospel was alone able to save those 
who believe it, knowing that a man is not justified 
by the works of the Law, but by the faith of Jesus 
Christ (b) : he expostulates with the Galatians for 
having suffered themselves to be seduced by false 
teachers from the doctrines which he had taught 
them, and brings to their recollection, that upon 
their embracing the Gospel, and not the Law, they 
had received the Holy Ghost (c) ; he then pursues 
the main subject of the Epistle at considerable 
length, and proves that the obligation of the ritual 
part of the Mosaic Law is completely abolished, 
both with respect to Jews and Gentiles (d) ; and in 
the course of his argument he contrasts the present 
defection of the Galatians with their former zeal 
and affection towards him, and expresses a fear lest 
he should have preached to them in vain ; he ear- 
nestly exhorts them to stand fast in the liberty with 
which Christ had made them free, and not to suffer 
themselves again to be entangled with the bondage 
of legal ordinances ; he points out the moral and 
spiritual nature of the Gospel, in opposition to out- 
ward observances (e) ; and concludes with a va- 
riety of directions and precepts, all tending to the 
cultivation of practical virtue (f). 

St. Paul wrote this Epistle with his own hand, 
although it was his common practice to make use 
of an amanuensis. 

It may be proper to remark, that the doctrine 
contained in this Epistle goes farther than the de- 
cree of the council at Jerusalem, mentioned in the 
Acts of the Apostles. In this Epistle, St. Paul main- 
tains, 

(b) C. 1 and 2. (c) C. 3. v. 1 to 5. 

(d) C. 3. v. 6 to the end of c, 4. (e) C. 5. 
ftJ.C-ft 



chap, xii.] Of the Epistle to the Galatians. 285 
tains, that no persons, whether Jews or Gentiles, 
after they had embraced the Gospel, ought to con- 
sider the observance of the Mosaic Law as essen- 
tial to their salvation, or as contributing to a greater 
degree of perfection ; and he says to the Galatian 
Christians, " Christ is become of no effect to you, 
whosoever of you are justified by the Law;" that 
is, whoever relies upon legal ordinances, as the 
means of his justification, will lose all the benefits 
to which he would otherwise be entitled from the 
profession of the Gospel : whereas the decree only 
decided, that it was not necessary for Gentile con- 
verts to Christianity to be circumcised, or to con- 
form to the rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic 
institution (g). 

(g) It has always been thought a point of considerable 
difficulty to account for St. Paul's not appealing to this decree 
in his Epistle to the Galatians. Those who wish to see the best 
reasons which can be assigned for that omission, may consult 
Dr. Paley's Hor. Paul, page 197. 



[ 286 ] 



PART II. 

CHAPTER THE THIRTEENTH. 

OF THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS. 

I. This Epistle was really written to the Ephesians. 
— II. Date and other Circumstances relative to it. 
— III. Its Contents. 

I. COME learned men have thought that this 
Epistle was not addressed to the Ephesians, 
but to the Laodiceans, conceiving it to be the 
Epistle mentioned in the fourth chapter of the 
Colossians, " and that ye likewise read the Epistle 
from Laodicea (a)." The principal ground of 
their objection to the commonly received opinion 
of its being written to the Ephesians is, that there 
are no allusions in it to St. Paul's having ever re- 
sided among the persons to whom it is addressed ; 
whereas it is certain that Paul had been twice at 
Ephesus, when he wrote this Epistle, and one of 
those times he had resided there more than two 
years ; but this negative argument is contradicted 
by the most positive testimony, and by almost the 
unanimous voice of antiquity. Ignatius, who was 
contemporary with the Apostles, expressly says, 

that 

(a) Theodoret maintained, that the Epistle here referred to, 
was an Epistle from the Laodiceans to Paul, and not from Paul 
to the Laodiceans. Cave, Michaelis, and several other moderns, 
have adopted this opinion, and the words of the original appear 
to me to favour it. 



chap, xiii.] Of the Epistle to the Ephesians. 287 
that St. Paul wrote an Epistle to the Ephesians ( b), 
and his description of it corresponds with this Epis- 
tle. Irenseus and Clement of Alexandria, both 
fathers of the second century, quote this Epistle as 
written to the Ephesians. Tertullian, who lived 
nearly at the same time, censures Marcion for as- 
serting that this Epistle was written to the Laodi- 
ceans, and says that it was really written to the 
Ephesians. Origen, Dionysius of Alexandria, Cy- 
prian, Eusebius, and all the later fathers, who quote 
this Epistle, treat it as written to the Ephesians ; 
and almost all the antient manuscripts and versions 
attest the same thing, by supporting the reading of 
our Bibles, " Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, by 
the will of God, to the Saints which are at Ephe- 
sus." Upon these authorities I feel myself fully 
justified in considering this Epistle as written to 
the Ephesians (c). 

II. Ephesus, a city of Ionia, and the capital of 
the proconsular Asia, was famous for its temple of 
Diana, which was esteemed one of the seven won- 
ders of the world ; and its inhabitants were noted 
for their superstition and skill in magic. We have 
seen, that St. Paul preached the Gospel for a short 
time at Ephesus, in the year 53 ; and that in the 
following year he returned thither, and remained 
there more than two years. During this long re- 
sidence he made many converts to Christianity, 
who seem to have been distinguished by their piety 
and zeal. This Epistle contains no blame or com- 
plaint whatever; and its sole object appears to 
have been, to confirm the Ephesian Christians in 
the true faith and practice of the Gospel. It was 

written 

(b) It is remarkable, that this is the only book of the New 
Testament mentioned by Ignatius. 

(c) Those who wish to see this question more fuHy dis- 
cussed, may consult Dr. Lardner, vol. 6. and Marsh's Mi- 
chaelis, vol. 4. 



288 Of the Epistle to the Ephesians, [part ii* 
written while St. Paul was a prisoner the first time 
at Rome ; and as the Apostle does not express in it 
any hope of a speedy release, which he does in his 
other Epistles sent from thence, it is conjectured that 
it was written during the early part of his confine- 
ment, and probably in the year 61. It might, 
perhaps, be occasioned by intelligence, which the 
Apostle had received, concerning the Ephesians, 
from persons who had lately come out of Asia (d). 
It was sent to Ephesus by Tychicus. It is written 
with great animation, and has always been much 
admired, both for the importance of its matter, and 
the elegance of its composition ; Grotius says of it, 
Rerum sublimitatemadsequans verbis sublimioribus 
quam ulla unquam habuit lingua humana. 

III. This Epistle consists of six chapters, the 
first three of which are usually considered as doc- 
trinal, and the other three as practical. St. Paul, 
after saluting the saints at Ephesus, expresses his 
gratitude to God for the blessings of the Gospel 
dispensation, and assures the Ephesians, that since 
he heard of their faith in Christ Jesus, and of their 
love to all Christians, he had not ceased to return 
thanks for them, and to pray that their minds might 
be still farther enlightened ( e) ; he points out the 
excellence of the Gospel dispensation, and shews 
that redemption through Christ is to be ascribed 
solely to the grace of God (f) ; he declares the 
mystery, or hidden purpose of God, to be, that the 
Gentiles as well as the Jews should be partakers of 
the blessings of the Gospel, and that through the 
goodness of God he was appointed to be the 
Apostle of the Gentiles ; he desires the Ephesians 
not to be dejected on account of his sufferings, and 
closes this part of the Epistle with an affectionate 
prayer and a sublime doxology (g). In the last 

three 

(d) C. 1. t. 15. (e) C. 1. (f) C.a. (g) C.3. 



chap, xiii.] Of the Epistle to the Ephesiam. 289 
three chapters, St. Paul gives the Ephesians many 
practical exhortations ; and in particular he recom- 
mends union, purity of manners, veracity, and 
meekness (h) ; he enjoins charity, and forbids every 
species of licentiousness; he enforces the duties of 
wives, of husbands (i), of children, of fathers, of 
servants, of masters ; he recommends watchfulness 
and firmness in the Christian warfare, and con- 
cludes the Epistle with a general benediction (k). 

(h) C. 4. 0) C. 5. (k) C. 6. 



[ 2go ] 

PART II. 

CHAPTER THE FOURTEENTH, 

OF THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS. 

I. Date of this Epistle, and Occasion of its being 
written. — II. Its Contents. 

I. T3HILIPPI was a city of Macedonia, and a 
Roman colony, not far from the borders of 
Thrace. It was the first place at which St. Paul 
preached the Gospel upon the Continent of Europe, 
in the year 51 . He made many converts there, who 
soon afterwards gave strong proofs of their attach- 
ment to him (a). He was at Philippi a second time, 
but nothing which then occurred is recorded. 

The Philippian Christians, having heard of St, 
Paul's imprisonment at Rome, with their accus- 
tomed zeal, sent Epaphroditus to assure him of the 
continuance of their regard, and to offer him a sup- 
ply of money. This Epistle was written in conse- 
quence of that act of kindness ; and it is remark- 
able for its strong expressions of affection. As the 
Apostle tells the Philippians that he hoped to see 
them shortly (b), and there are plain intimations ( c) 
in the Epistle of his having been some time at 
Rome, it is probable that it was written in the 
year 62, towards the end of his confinement. 

II. St, 

(a) C. 4. v. 15. (b) C. 2. v. 24. 

(c) C. l. v. 12. c. 2. v. 26. 



chap, xiv.] Of the Epistle to the Philippians. 291 
II. St. Paul, after a salutation in his own name, 
and in that of Timothy, declares his thankfulness 
to God for having made the Philippians partakers 
of the blessings of the Gospel, and prays for their 
farther improvement in knowledge and righteous- 
ness ; he informs them that his confinement had 
contributed to the furtherance of the Gospel, and 
declares his readiness to die in its cause, or live for 
its promotion; he exhorts them, with great warmth 
and earnestness, to live as it becometh the Gospel 
of Christ, being in nothing terrified by their adver- 
saries (d) ; to live in harmony with each other, and 
to practise the virtue of humility after the example 
of Christ ; he encourages them to work out their 
salvation, and expresses his intention of sending 
Timothy to them soon, and some hope of visiting 
them himself; in the mean time he tells them that 
he had sent back Epaphroditus, their messenger, 
who had been detained at Rome by a dangerous 
illness (e) ; he cautions them against false teachers, 
with particular reference to Judaizers, and gives 
some account of himself and of his zeal for the 
Gospel, which he advises the Philippians to imi- 
tate (f). In the last chapter he adds farther ex- 
hortations, expresses his satisfaction and thankful- 
ness for their repeated liberality, and concludes 
with salutations, and his usual benediction. 

" It is a strong proof," says Chrysostom, " of the 
virtuous conduct of the Philippians, that they did 
not afford the Apostle a single subject of complaint; 
for in the whole Epistle, which he wrote to them, 
there is nothing but exhortation and encourage- 
ment, without the mixture of any censure what- 
ever (g)T 

(d)c.i. roc. 2. cf)c.%. 

(g) Preface to this Epistle. 
02 



[ 2Q2 ] 

PART II. 

CHAPTER THE FIFTEENTH. 

OF THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. 

I. The Occasion of this Epistle being written, and 
its Date. — II. Whether St. Paul, when he wrote 
it, hadbeen at Colosse. — III. By whom the Church 
at Colosse was founded, — IV, The Substance of 
this Epistle. 

I. ^HE Christians of Colosse, a city of Phrygia, 
A in Asia Minor, having heard of St. Paul's 
imprisonment at Rome, sent Epaphras thither to 
inform him of the state of their affairs, and to en- 
quire after his welfare. In return for that mark of 
attention, St. Paul, while he was still in confine- 
ment, and probably in the year 62, wrote this 
Epistle to the Colossians, and sent it to them by 
Tychicus and Onesimus. Epaphras was cast into 
prison after his arrival at Rome ; and it is generally 
supposed that he had provoked the displeasure of 
the Roman government by his zeal in preaching 
the Gospel. 

II. We learn from the Acts of the Apostles, that 
St. Paul was in Phrygia, both in his second and 
third apostolical journies, in the years 51 and 53; 
but it is thought by many persons, that this Epistle 
contains internal marks of his never having been 
at Colosse when he wrote it. This opinion rests 

principally 



£HAP. xv.] Of the Epistle to the Colossians. 293 

principally upon the following passage : " For I 
would that ye knew what great conflict I have for 
you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as 
have not seen my face in the flesh ( #)." I must own 
that these words are not in my judgment conclu- 
sive ; if they prove any thing upon this question, 
they prove that St. Paul had never been either at 
Laodicea or Colosse ; but surely it is very impro- 
bable that he should have travelled twice into Phry- 
gia for the purpose of preaching the Gospel, and 
not have gone either to Laodicea or Colosse, which 
were the two principal cities of that country; 
especially as in the second journey into those 
parts it is said, " that he went over all the country 
of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the dis- 
ciples;" and moreover, we know that it was the 
Apostle's practice to preach at the most consider- 
able places of eveiy district into which he went. 
However, I confess there is no direct proof, either 
in this Epistle, or in the Acts, that St. Paul ever 
was at Colosse ; and therefore after all it is a point 
which must be left in some degree doubtful. 

III. Nor can we ascertain by whom the church 
-at Colosse was founded : for it is possible that St. 
Paul might have gone thither, after some other 
apostle or teacher had founded a church there. 
Some have concluded, from the two following 
passages in this Epistle, that the Colossians were 
first converted by Epaphras : " As ye also learned 
of Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is for you 
a faithful minister of Christ (b)." — " Epaphras, who 
is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, 
always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that 
ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will 
of God (c)" These passages do not appear to prove 
-that Epaphras originally converted the Colossians 

to 

(a) Col. c. 2. v. l. (b) C. 1. v. 7. (a) C. 4. v. 12, 

o 3 



294 Of the Epistle to the Colossians. [part ii* 

to the Gospel, although they shew that he had been 
an active minister among them ; and indeed the 
expression, '* Epaphras, who is one of you" places 
Epaphras and the other Colossians upon the same 
footing, and is scarcely consistent with the idea, 
that Epaphras was the person through whom the 
inhabitants of Colosse had embraced Christianity, 
Upon the whole, I am inclined to think that St. Paul 
founded the church at Colosse, and my opinion rests 
principally upon those terms, both of affection and 
of authority, in which this Epistle is written. Dr. 
Lardner, after quoting and arguing upon several 
passages of this kind, says, " From all these con- 
siderations, it appears to me very probable that the 
church at Colosse had been planted by the Apostle 
Paul, and that the Christians there were his friends, 
disciples, and converts, (d)" 

IV. This Epistle greatly resembles that to the 
Ephesians, both in sentiment and expression. After 
saluting the Colossian Christians in his own name, 
and that of Timothy, St. Paul assures them, that 
since he had heard of their faith in Christ Jesus, 
and of their love to all Christians, he had not 
ceased to return thanks to God for them, and to 
pray that they might increase in spiritual know- 
ledge, and abound in every good work ; he de- 
scribes the dignity of Christ, and declares the uni- 
versality of the Gospel dispensation, which was a 
mystery formerly hidden, but now made manifest ; 
and he mentions his own appointment, through 
the grace of God, to be the Apostle of the Gen- 
tiles; he expresses a tender concern for the Colos- 
sians and other Christians of Phrygia, and cautions 
them against being seduced from the simplicity of 
the Gospel by the subtlety of Pagan philosophers, 
or the superstition of Judaizing Christians ( e) ; he 

directs 
(d) Vol. 6. p. 464. (e) C. l and 2. 



chap, xv.] Of the Epistle to the Colossiaris. 295 

directs them to set their affections on things above, 
and forbids every species of licentiousness; he ex- 
horts to a variety of Christian virtues, to meekness, 
veracity, humility, charity, and devotion; he en- 
forces the duties of wives, husbands, children, 
fathers, servants (f), and masters ; he inculcates 
the duty of prayer, and of prudent behaviour to- 
wards unbelievers ; and after adding the saluta- 
tions of several persons then at Rome, and desiring 
that this Epistle might be read in the church of 
their neighbours the Laodiceans, he concludes 
with a salutation from himself, written as usual (g), 
with his own hand (h). 

CO C 3- (g) 2 Thess. c. 3. v. 17. (h) C. 4- 



4 



296 ] 



PART IL 



CHAPTER THE SIXTEENTH; 

OF THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE 
THESSALONIANS. 

I. The Occasion of this Epistle being written, and its 
Date. — II. Substance of this Epistle. 

I. TT is recorded in the Acts, as we have seen, 
that, St. Paul, in his first journey upon the 
Continent of Europe, preached the Gospel at Thes- 
salonica, at that time the capital of Macedonia, 
with considerable success ; but that after a short 
stay he was driven thence by the malice and vio- 
lence of the unbelieving Jews. From Thessalonica 
Paul went to Beraea, and thence to Athens, at both 
which places he remained but a short time. From 
Athens he sent Timothy to Thessalonica, to con- 
firm the new converts in their faith, and to enquire 
into their conduct. Timothy, upon his return, 
found St. Paul at Corinth. Thence, probably in 
the year 52, Paul wrote this Epistle to the Thessa- 
lonians ; and it is to be supposed that the subjects 
of which it treats, were suggested by the account 
which he received from Timothy. It is now gene- 
rally believed that this was written the first of all 
St. Paul's Epistles, but it is not known by whom it 
was sent to Thessalonica. The church there con- 
sisted chiefly of Gentile converts (a). 

II. St. 

(a) C. I.T.9. 



chap, xvi.] First Epistle to the Thessalonians. 297 

II. St. Paul, after saluting the Thessalonian 
Christians in the name of himself, Silas and Timo- 
thy, assures them that he constantly returned 
thanks to God on their account, and mentioned 
them in his prayers ; he acknowledges the readi- 
ness and sincerity with which they embraced the 
Gospel, and the great reputation which they had 
acquired by turning from idols to serve the living- 
God (b) ; he reminds them of the bold and disin- 
terested manner in which he had preached among 
them ; comforts them under the persecutions which 
they, like other Christians, had experienced from 
their unbelieving countrymen, and informs them 
of two ineffectual attempts which he had made to 
visit them again (c) ; and that, being thus disap- 
pointed he had sent Timothy, to confirm their 
faith, and enquire into their conduct ; he tells them 
that Timothy's account -of them had given him the 
greatest consolation and joy in the midst of his 
affliction and distress, and that he continually 
prayed to God for an opportunity of seeing them 
again, and for their perfect establishment in the 
Gospel ( d) ; he exhorts to purity, justice, love, and 
quietness, and dissuades them against excessive 
grief for their deceased friends (e) ; hence he takes 
occasion to recommend preparation for the la£t 
judgment, the time of which is always uncertain, 
and adds a variety of practical precepts. He con- 
cludes with his usual benediction (f). 

This Epistle is written in terms of high commen- 
dation, earnestness, and affection. 

(b)C.i. (c) C.2. (d)C. 3. 

(e) C. 4. It is probable that St. Paul was led to mention this 
subject by some account which he had received from Timothy, 
of the Thessalonian Christians having lamented the death of 
some of their friends, after the manner of the Heathen, who 
sorrowed as having no hope that they should meet again. 

Cf)C. S . 

o 5 



[ *& 1 



PART II. 



CHAPTER THE SEVENTEENTH. 

OF THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE 
THESSALONIANS. 

I. The Occasion of this Epistle being written, and its 
Date. — -II. Substance of this Epistle. 

I. TT is generally believed that the messenger, 
who carried the former Epistle into Mace- 
donia, upon his return to Corinth, informed St.Paul 
that the Thessalonians had inferred, from some ex- 
pressions (a) in it, that the coming of Christ and 
the final judgment were near at hand, and would 
happen in the time of many who were then alive. 
The principal design of this second Epistle to the 
Thessalonians was to correct that error, and pre- 
vent the mischief which it would naturally occa- 
sion. It was written from Corinth, and probably 
at the end of the year 52. 

II. St. Paul begins with the same salutation as 
in the former Epistle, and then expresses his de- 
vout acknowledgments to God for the increasing 
faith and mutual love of the Thessalonians in the 
midst of persecutions ; he represents to them the 
rewards which will be bestowed upon the faithful, 
and the punishment which will be inflicted upon 
the disobedient at the coming of Christ (b) ; he 

earnestly 

(a) l Thess. c. 4. v. 15 and 17. c. 5. v. 6. (b) C. 1. 



ch. xvii.] Second Epistle to the Tkessalonians. 299 
earnestly entreats them not to suppose, as upon 
authority from him, or upon any other ground, 
that the last day is at hand ; he assures them, that 
before that awful period, a great apostacy will take 
place, and reminds them of some information which 
he had given them upon that subject when he was 
at Thessalonica ; he exhorts them to stedfastness 
in their faith, and prays to God to comfort their 
hearts, and establish them in every good word and 
work (c) ; he desires their prayers for the success 
of his ministry, and expresses his confidence in 
their sincerity ; he cautions them against associat- 
ing with idle and disorderly persons, and recom- 
mends diligence and quietness. He adds a salu- 
tation in his own hand, and concludes with his 
usual benediction (d). 

(c) C. 2, {d) C. 3. 







[ 3oo 3 
PART II. 

CHAPTER THE EIGHTEENTH, 

OF THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 

I. History of Timothy. — II. Date of this Epistle. — 
III. Design and Substance of it. 

I. HTIMOTHY was a native of Lystra in Lyca- 
onia ; his father was a Gentile ; but his 
mother, whose name was Eurrice, was a Jewess (a), 
and educated her son with great care in her own 
religion ( b). In the beginning of this Epistle, Paul 
calls Timothy his " own son in the faith ( c) ;" from 
which expression it is inferred, that Paul was the 
person who converted him to the belief of the Gos- 
pel ; and as, upon Paul's second arrival at Lystra, 
Timothy is mentioned as being then a disciple, and 
as having distinguished himself among the Chris- 
tians of that neighbourhood, his conversion, as well 
as that of Eunice his mother, and Lois his grand- 
mother, must have taken place when St. Paul first 
preached at Lystra in the year 46. Upon St. Paul's 
leaving Lystra, in the course of his second apos- 
tolical journey, he was induced to take Timothy 
with him, on account of his excellent character, 
and the zeal which, young as he was, he had 
already shewn in the cause of Christianity; but 

before 

(a) Acts, c. 16. v. 1. (b) 2 Tim. c. 1. v. 5. c. 3. v. 15. 
(c) 1 Tim. c. 1. v. 2. 



€ H A P . x V 1 1 1 .] First Epistle to Timothy, 30 i 

before they set out, Paul caused him to be circum- 
cised, not as a thing necessary to his salvation, but 
to avoid giving offence to the Jews, as he was a 
Jew by the mother's side, and it was an established 
rule among the Jews, that " partus sequitur ven- 
trem." Timothy was regularly appointed to the 
ministerial office by laying on of hands, not only 
by Paul himself (a), but also by the presbytery (e ), 
From this time Timothy constantly acted as a mi- 
nister of the Gospel; he generally attended St.Paul, 
but was sometimes employed by him in other 
places; he was very diligent and useful, and is 
always mentioned with great esteem and affection 
by St. Paul, who joins his name with his own in 
the inscription of six of his Epistles (f). He is 
sometimes called bishop of Ephesus, and it has 
been said that he suffered martyrdom in that city, 
some years after the death of St. Paul. 

II. We are now to consider the date of this 
Epistle, concerning which the learned are by no 
means agreed. From the third verse of the first 
chapter, " As I besought thee to abide still at 
Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia/' it is 
generally admitted that St. Paul wrote this Epistle 
in Macedonia, that he had lately come thither from 
Ephesus, and that he had left Timothy in that city ; 
and since the Acts of the Apostles mention only 
one instance of St. Paul's going from Ephesus into 
Macedonia, namely, immediately after the tumult 
occasioned by Demetrius (gj,many commentators 
have concluded that this Epistle was written soon 
after that event, that is, in the year 57 ; but to this 
date there are strong objections. 

1 . In the first place we may observe, that there 

is 

(d) 2 Tim. c. l. v. 6. (e) l Tim. c. 4. v. 14. 

(f) Namely, the second of the Corinthians, Philippians, 
Colossians, first and second of Thessalonians, and Philemon. 

(g) Acts, c. 20. v. 1. 



302 First Epistle to Timothy. [partii. 

is no allusion whatever in the Epistle, to any per- 
secution which St. Paul had lately suffered ; and 
surely if he had written this Epistle to Timothy, 
still remaining at Ephesus, soon after he himself 
had been compelled to leave that city by the riot- 
ous behaviour of its inhabitants, he would naturally 
have alluded to that circumstance ; more espe- 
cially, as in his second Epistle to the Corinthians, 
confessedly written at this time, he evidently refers 
to the treatment which he had experienced at 
Ephesus, although the Corinthians could have no 
concern, or at least were much less interested, in 
it, than Timothy was, who had been with Paul at 
Ephesus, and was still there. 

2. St. Paul states the reason which had induced 
him to request Timothy to remain at Ephesus, 
" That thou mightest charge some that they teach 
no other doctrine ; neither give heed to fables and 
endless genealogies, which minister questions rather 
than godly edifying, which is in faith (h)" From 
this and other passages it is evident, that when 
St. Paul wrote this Epistle, some false teachers 
had been endeavouring to pervert the Ephesian 
Christians from the genuine doctrine- which had 
been taught by St. Paul ; but no circumstance of 
this kind is mentioned in the Acts ; nor is it proba- 
ble that such an attempt should have been made, 
while Paul, who had lately converted the Ephe- 
sians, was still among them ; for we must remem- 
ber, that in his first short visit to Ephesus he made 
very few, if any, converts (i) ; indeed, when he 
arrived there the second time, he seems to have 
found only twelve disciples ( k), who were so little 
acquainted with the nature of the Gospel dispen- 
sation, that they had not so much as heard whether 
there were any Holy Ghost : and we may farther 
observe, that St. Paul, in his long address to the 

elders 

( h) l Tim. c. l. v. 3 and 4. (i) Acts, c. 18. v. 19. 

(k) Acts ; c. 19. v. l. 



chap, xviii.] First Epistle to Timothy. 303 

elders of Ephesus at Miletus (I), which was sub- 
sequent to the date now under consideration, takes 
no notice of corruptions then or formerly subsist- 
ing in the church at Ephesus, or of any false 
teachers who had been there, although he tells 
them that he knows, " Hereafter men will arise, 
speaking perverse things, drawing many disciples 
after them." 

3. From the following passages in this Epistle, 
" These things write I unto thee, hoping to come 
unto thee shortly ( m) ;" — " Till I come, give attend- 
ance to reading, to exhortation, and doctrine (n) ;' 7 
it clearly appears, that, when Paul wrote this 
Epistle, he intended to go to Ephesus soon, and 
before Timothy should leave it ; but this could not 
be the case when Paul was at Macedonia in the 
year 57 ; for his plan then was to go into Achaia, 
and thence to carry to Jerusalem the collections 
for the poor Christians of Judsea : nor was Timo- 
thy remaining at Ephesus ; for it is certain, ad- 
mitting that he was left there, that he very soon 
went to Paul in Macedonia, instead of Paul's go- 
ing to him at Ephesus ; this appears from Timothy 
being joined in the inscription of the second 
Epistle to the Corinthians, which, as it is univer- 
sally agreed, was written in Macedonia, not long 
after the tumult at Ephesus. 

Lastly, let us consider, under one point of view, 
all the circumstances, as stated in the Acts and 
Epistles, which are connected with this question. 
In the Acts it is said, that St. Paul sent Timothy 
into Macedonia at a time when he had formed his 
plan for leaving Ephesus ( 0) ; and from the first 
Epistle to the Corinthians we learn, that Timothy 
was directed to go from Macedonia to Corinth (p), 
and thence to Ephesus ( q) ; and from the salutation 



(I) Acts, c. 20. v. 17, &c. (m) C. 3. v. 14. 

(n) C. 4. v. 13. (o) Acts, c. 19. v. 21 and 22, 

(p) 1 Cor. c. 4. v. 17. (q) 1 Cor. c. l6..v. 11. 



%(>4 First Epistle to Timothy. [i»ART ff, 

in the beginning of the second Epistle to the Co-* 
rinthians it appears, as was just now mentioned, 
that Timothy was with Paul when he wrote that 
Epistle: those, therefore, who contend for this 
date, must suppose that Timothy returned to 
Ephesus before Paul left it, although he was com- 
pelled to leave it sooner than he had intended ; 
that Paul left Timothy at Ephesus, although no- 
thing of the kind is said in the Acts ; and that 
Timothy quitted Ephesus, and joined Paul in Ma- 
cedonia, before he wrote his second Epistle to the 
Corinthians, although it was intended, which was 
also just now mentioned, that Timothy should re- 
main at Ephesus, and Paul go thither to him. 
This train of events is, in my judgment, improbable 
in the highest degree. 

I still wish to notice more particularly one of 
the passages already referred to in the first Epistle 
to the Corinthians, which was written after Timothy 
had set out for Macedonia and Achaia : St. Paul 
says, " Send him (that is, Timothy) forward in 
peace, that he may come to me, for I expect him 
with the brethren :" these brethren must be Titus 
and his companions, whom St. Paul sent to Co- 
rinth with his first Epistle, and whose return he 
had intended to wait for at Ephesus ; but we know 
that Paul was forced to leave Ephesus before the 
return of Titus, and therefore, we may infer, before 
the return of Timothy, who was expected with 
Titus. If this reasoning be allowed, it is decisive 
upon the question. 

Upon the whole, the date of the year, 57, suits 
so ill with the contents of the Epistle, and it is so 
difficult, not to say impossible, to reconcile it with 
a variety of acknowledged facts, that I am inclined 
to reject it, and to accede to the opinion of several 
learned men (r), who think that this Epistle was 

written 

(r) Pearson, Le Gere, L'Enfant, Cave, Fabricius, Mill, 
Whitby, &c. 



chap.xviii.] First Epistle to Timothy. 305 

written subsequent to St. Paul's first imprisonment 
at Rome, and, therefore, after the period at which 
the Acts of the Apostles end : and as St. Paul was 
liberated in the year 63, I place the writing of this 
Epistle, and the journey to which it refers, in the 
year 64. In support of this opinion I shall ob- 
serve, that it was plainly Paul's intention, when he 
had hope of being released, to go both to Colosse 
and into Macedonia ; for to Philemon, who was an 
inhabitant of Colosse, he says, " Prepare me also 
a lodging, for I trust that through your prayers I 
shall be given unto you (s) ;" and to the Philip- 
pians he says, " I trust in the Lord, that I also 
myself shall come shortly (t)J' It is admitted that 
these two Epistles were written at the end of 
St. Paul's first imprisonment at Rome ; and if he 
executed his intention of going to Colosse imme- 
diately after his release, it is very probable that he 
would also visit Ephesus, which was near Colosse, 
and go thence to Philippi. It is also probable, 
that during St. Paul's long absence of seven years, 
some corruptions might have made their way into 
the church of Ephesus, and that Paul should leave 
Timothy to correct what was amiss, with an inten- 
tion of returning to Ephesus himself, when he had 
visited the churches in Macedonia. 

But i£ must not be concealed, that to this date 
two things are objected: First, it is urged, that if 
St. Paul wrote this Epistle in the year 64, he could 
not, with any propriety, have said to Timothy, 
** Let no man despise thy youth," since, if he were 
only twenty years of age, and he could not well be 
younger, when he first became St. Paul's compa- 
nion and assistant in the year 51, he would, in the 
year 64 be thirty-three, to which age it is thought 
the Apostle would not apply the word youth. To 
this it may be answered, that Timothy might be 

younger 
(s) V. 22. (t) C.a.v. 24. 



306 First Epistle to Timothy. [part it. 

younger than persons usually were, who were en- 
trusted with such commissions. He certainly was 
young when compared with the importance of the 
business in which he was engaged, and St. Paul 
thought that he stood in need of particular instruc- 
tions and directions from himself. Or Timothy 
might be younger than those whom he had to op- 
pose, or those whom he had to correct, and on that 
account Paul might fear that people would not be 
disposed to submit to his authority ; or this passage 
might have reference to some circumstance which 
had occurred at Ephesus, and which is not trans- 
mitted to us. In any case, the word youth seems to 
be of so indefinite a signification, and is so often 
used in a relative sense, that we cannot draw from 
it any positive conclusion concerning the precise 
age of a person to whom it is applied (u). But the 
force of this objection is entirely destroyed by the 
consideration, that St. Paul, in his second Epistle 
to Timothy, gives him this precept, " Flee also 
youthful lusts (x) ;" for it will afterwards appear that 
the second Epistle to Timothy was written during 
St. Paul's second imprisonment at Rome, and 
consequently after the year 64, and yet even then 
the Apostle considered Timothy as^a young man. 

The other objection arises from St. Paul's decla- 
ration to the Ephesian elders at Miletus, in the year 
58, " that they should see his face no more (y)T 
which is considered as a prediction that he should 
never go to Ephesus again ; whereas the date as- 
signed by us to this Epistle necessarily implies that 
he was at Ephesus in the year 64. But we must 
remember that, though St. Paul was an inspired 

apostle, 

(u) Aulus Gellius, lib. 10. cap. 28. informs us, that Seryius 
Tullius, in classing the Roman people, divided their age into 
three periods : childhood, which extended to the age of seven- 
teen ; youth from seventeen to forty-six ; and old age from forty- 
six to the end of life. 

Cx) 2 Tim. c. 2. v* 22. (y) Acts, c. 20. v. 25. 



chap, xvii i.] First Epistle to Timothy. 307 

apostle, his inspiration by no means extended to 
every thing which he said, nor did it enable him to 
foresee exactly what would happen to him : this 
appears in the clearest manner from this very speech 
to the Ephesian elders ; " And now, behold,' 7 says 
St. Paul, " I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, 
not knowing the things that shall befal me there, 
save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, 
saying, that bonds and afflictions await me (z)" 
Thus he expressly declares the limited and partial 
nature of inspiration; that the Holy Ghost had 
revealed generally that he was about to suffer 
bonds and afflictions, but that the communication 
went no farther ; and if he did not know the par- 
ticular events which awaited him even at Jerusalem, 
whither he was then going, much less probable is 
it that he was enabled to foresee with certainty, 
whether he should ever be at Ephesus again. The 
declaration, therefore, that the Ephesian elders 
would no more see his face, appears not to have 
been dictated by the Holy Ghost ; it was merely 
" the conclusion of his own mind, the desponding 
inference which he drew from strong and repeated 
intimations of approaching danger (a)." 

III. The principal design of this Epistle was 
to give instructions to Timothy concerning the 
management of the church of Ephesus ; and it was 
probably intended that this Epistle should be read 
publicly to the Ephesians, that they might know 
upon what authority Timothy acted. After salut- 
ing him in an affectionate manner, and reminding 
him of the reason for which he was left at Ephe- 
sus, the Apostle takes occasion from the frivolous 
disputes which some Judaizing teachers had intro- 
duced among the Ephesians, to assert the practical 
nature of the Gospel, and to shew its superiority 

over 

(z) Acts, c. 20. y. 22 and 23. (a) Dr. Pale/s Hor, Paul, 



308 First Epistle to Timothy. [part ll* 

over the law ; he returns thanks to God for his own 
appointment to the apostleship, and recommends 
to Timothy fidelity in the discharge of his sacred 
office (b) ; he exhorts that prayers should be made 
for all men, and especially for magistrates; he 
gives directions for the conduct of women, and 
forbids their teaching in public ( c) ; he describes 
the qualifications necessary for bishops and dea- 
cons, and speaks of the mysterious nature of the 
Gospel dispensation (d) ; he foretels that there 
will be apostates from the truth, and false teachers 
in the latter times, and recommends to Timothy 
purity of manners and improvement of his spi- 
ritual gifts ( e) ; he gives him particular directions 
for his behaviour towards persons in different 
situations of life, and instructs him in several 
points of Christian discipline (f) ; he cautions him 
against false teachers, gives him several precepts, 
and solemnly charges him to be faithful to his 
trust (g). 

(b)C.i. rOC. 2. (d)C.n. 

(e)C. 4. <7JC. 5 .- C*;C6.; 



[ 309 1 



PART II. 

CHAPTER THE NINETEENTH, 

OF THE SECOND EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 

I. Date of this Epistle. — II. Where Timothy was* 
when it was written to him. — III, Substance 
of it. 

!• 'T'HAT this Epistle was written while Paul was 
under confinement at Rome, appears from 
the two following passages : " Be not thou there- 
fore ashamed of the testi mony of our Lord, nor of 
me his prisoner (a)." — ." The Lord give mercy unto 
the house of Onesiphorus, for he oft refreshed me, 
and was not ashamed of my chain, but when he 
was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, 
and found me (b)." And if we have done rightly 
in dating the first Epistle to Timothy, after St. Paul's 
first imprisonment at Rome, it will follow that this 
second Epistle must have been written during his 
second imprisonment in that city. 

The Epistle itself will furnish us with several 
arguments to prove that it could not have been 
written during St. Paul's first imprisonment. 

i . It is universally agreed that St. Paul wrote 
his Epistles to the Ephesians, Colossians, Philip- 
pians, and to Philemon, while he was confined the 
first time at Rome. In no one of these Epistles does 

he 
(a) C. I. v. 8. (b) C. i. r. 16 and xy. 



310 Second Epistle to Timothy. [part u. 

he express any apprehension for his life ; and in the 
two last mentioned we have seen that, on the con- 
trary, he expresses a confident hope of being soon 
liberated ; but in this Epistle he holds a very differ- 
ent language ; "lam now ready to be offered, and 
the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought 
a good fight ; I have finished my course ; I have 
kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me 
a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the 
righteous Judge, shall give me at that day (c)." 
The danger in which St. Paul now was, is evident 
from the conduct of his friends when he made his 
defence : " At my first answer no man stood with 
me, but all men forsook me (d)" This expectation 
of death and this imminent danger, cannot be 
reconciled either with the general tenor of his 
Epistles written during his first confinement at 
Rome, with the nature of the charge laid against 
him when he was carried thither from Jerusalem, or 
with St. Luke's account of his confinement there ; 
for we must remember that in the year 63, Nero 
had not begun to persecute the Christians ; that 
none of the Roman magistrates and officers, who 
heard the accusations against Paul at Jerusalem, 
thought that he had committed any offence against 
the Roman government; that at Rome St. Paul 
was completely out of the power of the Jews ; and 
so little was he there considered as having been 
guilty of any capital crime, that he v/as suffered 
to dwell " two whole years (that is, the whole time 
of his confinement) in his own hired bouse, and 
to receive all that came in unto him, preaching 
the word of God, and teaching those things which 
concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, 
no man forbidding him (e)" 

2. From the inscriptions of the Epistles to the 
Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon, it is certain 

that 

(c) C. 4. v. 6, &c. (d) C. 4. v. 16. 

(e) Acts, c. 28. v. 30 and 31. 



chap, xix.] Second Epistle to Timothy. 311 

that Timothy was with Paul in his first imprison- 
ment at Rome; but this Epistle implies that 
Timothy was absent. 

3. St. Paul tells the Colossians, that Mark sa- 
lutes them, and therefore he was at Rome with 
Paul in his first imprisonment, but he was not at 
Rome when this Epistle was written, for Timothy 
is directed to bring him with him (f). 

4. Demas also was with Paul when he wrote to 
the Colossians : " Luke the beloved physician, and 
Demas greet you (g)." In this Epistle he says, 
" Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this pre- 
sent world, and is departed unto Thessalonica ( h)T 
It may be said that this Epistle might have been 
written before the others, and that in the interme- 
diate time Timothy and Mark might have come to 
Rome, more especially as Paul desires Timothy to 
come shortly, and bring Mark with him. But this 
hypothesis is not consistent with what is said of 
Demas, who was with Paul when he wrote to the 
Colossians, and had left him when he wrote this 
second Epistle to Timothy ; consequently the Epis- 
tle to Timothy must be posterior to that addressed 
to the Colossians. The case of Demas seems to have 
been that he continued faithful to St. Paul during 
his first imprisonment, which was attended with 
little or no danger, but deserted him in the second, 
when Nero was persecuting the Christians, and Paul 
evidently considered himself in great danger. 

5. St. Paul tells Timothy, " Erastus abode at 
Corinth, but Trophimus have I left at Miletum 
sick (i ) : " these were plainly two circumstances 
which had happened in some journey, which Paul 
had taken not long before he wrote this Epistle, 
and since he and Timothy had seen each other ; 
but the last time St. Paul was at Corinth and 

Miletus, 



%. 



■) C.4.V. 11. (g) C. 4.V. 14 

h) C. 4.v. 10. (i) C. 4. v. 20. 



312 Secotid Epistle to Timothy, [part ir. 

Miletus, prior to his first imprisonment at Rome, 
Timothy was with him at both places ; and Tro- 
phimus could not have been then left at Miletus, 
for we find him at Jerusalem immediately after 
Paul's arrival in that city, " for they had seen be- 
fore with him in the city, Trophimus an Ephesian, 
whom they supposed that Paul had brought into 
the temple (k)" These two facts must therefore 
refer to some journey subsequent to the first im- 
prisonment; and consequently this Epistle was 
written during St. Paul's second imprisonment at 
Rome (I) ; and probably in the year 65, not long 
before his death. 

II. It is by no means certain where Timothy 
was, when this Epistle was written to him. It 
seems most probable that he was somewhere in 
Asia Minor, since St. Paul desires him to bring the 
cloak with him which he had left at Troas (m) ; 
and also at the end of the first chapter, he speaks 
of several persons whose residence was in Asia. 
Many have thought that he was at Ephesus ; but 
others have rejected that opinion, because Troas 
does not lie in the way from Ephesus to Rome, 
whither he was directed to go as quickly as he 
could. 

III. St. Paul, after his usual salutation, assures 
Timothy of his most affectionate remembrance; he 
speaks of his own apostleship and of his sufferings; 
exhorts Timothy to be stedfast in the true faith (n) ; 
to be constant and diligent in the discharge of his 
ministerial office ; to avoid foolish and unlearned 

questions ; 

fk) Acts, c 21. v. 29. 

(I) Dr. Lardner has laboured to prove that this Epistle was 
written during St. Paul's first imprisonment at Rome ; but his 
arguments are very well answered by Dr. Macknight in his 
Preface to this Epistle. 

(m) C.4- v. 13. (n) C. 1. 



chap, xix.] Second Epistle to Timothy. 313 

questions ; and to practise and inculcate the great 
duties of the Gospel ( 0) ; he describes the apostacy 
and general wickedness of the last days, and highly 
commends the Holy Scriptures (p) ; he again so- 
lemnly exhorts Timothy to diligence ; speaks of his 
own danger, and of his hope of future reward; and 
concludes with several private directions, and with 
salutations (q). 

(o)C,2. OJC.3. ftJC.4. 



[ 3H 1 

PART II. 

CHAPTER THE TWENTIETH. 

OF THE EPISTLE TO TITUS. 

I. History of Titus. — II. From what Place St. Pan! 
wrote this Epistle. — III. Its Date. — IV. When a 
Christian Church was first founded in Crete. — 
V. Design and Substance of this Epistle. 

I. TT is remarkable that Titus is not mentioned in 
the Acts of the Apostles. The few particulars 
which are known of him, are collected from the 
Epistles of St. Paul. We learn from them that he 
was a Greek (a) ; but it is not recorded to what city 
or country he belonged. From St. Paul's calling 
him " his own son according to the common 
faith (b)" it is concluded that he was converted 
by him; but we have no account of the time or 
place of his conversion. He is first mentioned as 
going from Antioch to the council at Jerusalem in 
the year 49 (c) ; and upon that occasion Paul says 
that he would not allow him to be circumcised, 
because he was born of Gentile parents. He pro- 
bably accompanied St. Paul in his second aposto- 
lical journey, and from that time he seems to 
have been constantly employed by him in the pro- 
pagation of the Gospel ; he calls him his partner and 

fellow- 
fa J Gal. c. 2. v. 3. (b) Tit. c. 1. v. 1. 
(c) Gal. c. 2. v. 1. 



chap, xx.] Of the Epistle to Titus. 315 

fellow-helper (d). Paul sent him from Ephesus 
with his first Epistle to the Corinthians, and with 
a commission to enquire into the state of the church 
at Corinth ; and he sent him thither again from Ma- 
cedonia with his second Epistle, and to forward 
the collections for " the saints in Judaea." From 
this time we hear nothing of Titus till he was left 
by Paul in Crete, after his first imprisonment at 
Rome, to " set in order the things that were want- 
ing, and to ordain elders in every city (e)" It is 
probable that he went thence to join St. Paul at 
Nicopolis (f) ; that they went together to Crete 
to visit the churches there, and thence to Rome. 
During St. Paul's second imprisonment at Rome, 
Titus went into Dalmatia (g) ; and after the 
Apostle's death he is said to have returned into 
Crete, and to have died there in the 94th year of 
his age: he is often called Bishop of Crete by 
ecclesiastical writers. St. Paul always speaks of 
Titus in terms of high regard, and entrusted him, 
as we have seen, with commissions of great 
importance. 

II. It is by no means certain from what place 
St. Paul wrote this Epistle. But as he desires Titus 
to come to him at Nicopolis (h), and declares his 
intention of passing the winter there, some have 
supposed that, when he wrote it, he was in the 
neighbourhood of that city, either in Greece or 
Macedonia ; others have imagined that he wrote 
it from Colosse, but it is difficult to say upon what 
ground. 

III. As it appears that St. Paul, not long before 

he 

(d) 2 Cor. c. 8. v. 23. (e) Tit. c. 1. v. 5. 

(f) Tit. c. 3. v. 12. (g) 2 Tim. c. 4. v. 10. 

(h) C. 3. v. 12. There were many cities of this name. The 
one meant by St. Paul was probably in Epirus, and was built 
by Augustus, in honour of his victory over Antony at Actium. 
P 2 



316 Of the Epistle to Titus. [part ir. 

he wrote this Epistle, had left Titus in Crete for 
the purpose of regulating the affairs of the church, 
and at the time he wrote it had determined to pass 
the approaching winter at Nicopolis, and as the 
Acts of the Apostles do not give any account of 
St. Paul's preaching in that island (i), or of visiting 
that city, it is concluded that this Epistle was 
written after his first imprisonment at Rome, and 
probably in the year 64. It may be considered as 
some confirmation of that opinion, that there is a 
great similarity between the sentiments and ex- 
pressions of this Epistle and of the first Epistle to 
Timothy, which was written in that year. 

IV. It is not known at what time a Christian 
church was first planted in Crete ; but as some 
Cretans were present at the first effusion of the 
Holy Ghost at Jerusalem (k), it is not improbable 
that, upon their return home, they might be the 
means of introducing the Gospel among their 
countrymen. Crete is said to have abounded with 
Jews ; and from the latter part of the first chapter 
of this Epistle it appears, that many of them were 
persons of very profligate lives, even after they 
had embraced the Gospel. 

V. The principal design of this Epistle was to 
give instructions to Titus concerning the manage- 
ment of the churches in the different cities of the 
Island of Crete, and it was probably intended to 
be read publicly to the Cretans, that they might 
know upon what authority Titus acted. St. Paul, 
after his usual salutation, intimates that he was 

appointed 

(i) St. Paul stopped a short time in Crete, when he was 
carried prisoner from Jerusalem to Rome; but there is no 
reason to believe that he then preached the Gospel there. No 
one ever supposed that this visit to Crete was the one referred 
to in the Epistle to Titus. 

(k) Acts, c. 2. v. 11. 



€ hap. xx.] Of the Epistle to Titus. 317 

appointed an apostle by the express command of 
God, and reminds Titus of the reason of his being 
left in Crete ; he describes the qualifications ne- 
cessary for bishops, and cautions him against 
persons of bad principles, especially Judaizing 
teachers, whom he directs Titus to reprove with 
severity (I) ; he informs him what instructions he 
should give to people in different situations of life, 
and exhorts him to be exemplary in his own con- 
duct ; he points out the pure and practical nature 
of the Gospel (m), and enumerates some particular 
virtues which he was to inculcate, avoiding foolish 
questions and frivolous disputes ; he tells him how 
he is to behave towards heretics, and concludes 
with salutations (n). 

(I) C. 1. (m) C. 2. (n) C. 3. 



*3 



[ 3i8 ] 
PART IL 

CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIRST. 

OF THE EPISTLE TO PHILEMON. 

I. Who Philemon was.— -IL Date of this Epistle. — 
III. Occasion of its being written. — IV. Substance 
and Character of this Epistle. 

I. pHILEMON was an inhabitant of Colosse, 
and from the manner in which he is ad- 
dressed in this Epistle, it is probable that he was 
a person of some consideration in that city. St. 
Paul seems to have been the means of converting 
him to the belief of the Gospel (a). He calls him 
his fellow-labourer ; and from that expression some 
have thought that he was bishop or deacon of 
the church at Colosse; but others have been of 
opinion, that he was only a private Christian, who 
had shewn a zealous and active disposition in the 
cause of Christianity, without holding any eccle- 
siastical office. 

II. We learn from this Epistle itself, that it was 
written when St. Paul was a prisoner, and when he 
had hope of soon recovering his liberty ( b) ; and 
thence we conclude, that it was written towards the 
end of his first confinement at Rome. This opinion 
is also supported by the following circumstances : 
Onesimus, the bearer of this Epistle, was one of 

the 

(a) V. 19. (b) V. l and 22. 



chap, xxi.] Of the Epistle to Philemon, 319 

the persons who were entrusted with that to the 
Colossians ; and in both Epistles, Timothy, Epa- 
phroditus, Mark, Aristarehus, Demas, and Luke, 
are spoken of as being present with the Apostle; 
we therefore infer that they were written at the 
same time, and consequently we are to place the 
date of this Epistle in the year 62. 

III. The occasion of writing it was this: — 
Onesimus, a slave of Philemon, had run away from 
him, and taken up his residence at Rome. It is 
generally supposed that he had also robbed his 
master ; but the only foundation for that opinion is 
in the following passage, which does not appear to 
me conclusive : ' " If he hath wronged thee, or 
oweth thee ought, put that on my account." — 
Surely these words do not necessarily imply that 
Onesimus had been guilty of theft; they may only 
allude to the injury which Philemon had sustained 
by the absence of his slave and the loss of his ser- 
vice. It does not seem probable that St. Paul 
would have mentioned such a crime in so slight 
a manner, or that he would have failed to notice 
the contrition of Onesimus. Paul, having met 
with him at Rome, converted him to Christianity, 
and reclaimed him to a sense of his duty : he then 
sent him back to Colosse with this letter, written 
with his own hand, to Philemon, requesting him to 
receive his slave, thus converted and reclaimed, 
again into his family (c). 

IV. This Epistle has always been deservedly 
admired for the delicacy and address with which 
it is written ; and it places St. Paul's character in 
a very amiable point of view. He had converted 

a fugitive 

(c) In the Epistle which St. Paul sent at the same time to 

the Colossian Christians in general, of whom Philemon was 

one, he calls Onesimus " a faithful and beloved brother.' 7 

— C. 4. v. 9- 



3^0 Of the Epistle to Philemon, [paet li, 

a fugitive slave to the Christian faith ; . and he here 
intercedes with his master in the most earnest and 
affectionate manner for his pardon ; he speaks of 
Onesimus in terms calculated to soften Philemon's 
resentment, engages to make full compensation 
for any injury which he might have sustained from 
him, and conjures him to reconciliation and for- 
giveness by the now endearing connection of 
Christian brotherhood. 

This Epistle is a plain proof that Christianity 
was not intended to make any alteration in the 
civil conditions of men. Paul considered Onesi- 
mus, although converted to the Gospel, as still 
belonging to his former master ; and by deprecat- 
ing the anger of Philemon, he acknowledged that 
Onesimus continued liable to punishment ( d) for 
the misconduct of which he had been guilty pre- 
vious to his conversion. 

(d) Grotius says, that Philemon, by the laws of Phrygia, 
might have punished his slave without application to a ma- 
gistrate. 



[321 ] 



PART II. 

CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SECOND. 

OF THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 

I. Authenticity of this Epistle. — II. Its Date. — 
III. Language in which it ivas originally written. 
— IV. To whom it was addressed, — V. Design and 
Substance of it. 

I. '"FHOUGH the genuineness of the Epistle to 
the Hebrews has been disputed both in an- 
tient and modern times, its antiquity has never 
been questioned. It is generally allowed there are 
references to it, although the author is not men- 
tioned, in the remaining works of Clement of Rome* 
Ignatius, Polycarp, and Justin Martyr ; and that it 
contains, as was first noticed by Chrysostom (a) 
and Theodoret (b), internal evidence of having been 
written before the destruction of Jerusalem (c). 

The earliest writer now extant, who quotes this 
Epistle as the work of St. Paul, is Clement of Alex- 
andria, towards the end of the second century; 
but as he ascribes it to St. Paul repeatedly, and 
without hesitation, we may conclude that in his 
time no doubt had been entertained upon the sub- 
ject, or, at least, that the common tradition of the 

church 

(a) Praef. in Ep. ad Heb. 

(b) Theod. in Heb. cap. 13.V. 10. 

(c) Heb. c. 8. v. 4. c. 9. v. 25. e. 10. v. 11 and 37. 
c. 13. v. 10. 

*5 



322 Of the Epistle to the Hebrews, [part n< 

church attributed it to St. Paul. Clement is fol- 
lowed by Origen, by Dionysius and Alexander, both 
bishops of Alexandria, by Ambrose, Athanasius, 
Hilary of Poitiers, Jerome, Chrysostom, and Cyril, 
all of whom consider this Epistle as written by 
St. Paul ; and it is also ascribed to him in the an^ 
tient Syriac version, supposed to have been made 
at the end of the first century. Eusebius says, 
" Of Paul there are fourteen Epistles, manifest 
and well known ; but yet there are some who reject 
that to the Hebrews, urging for their opinion that 
it is contradicted by the church of the Romans, as 
not being St. Paul's (d)." In Dr. Lardner we find 
the following remark : " It is evident that this 
Epistle was generally received in antient times by 
those Christians who used the Greek language, and 
lived in the eastern parts of the Roman empire.' 7 
And in another place he says, " It was received 
as an Epistle of Paul by many Latin writers in the 
4th, 5th, and 6th centuries." The earlier Latin 
writers take no notice of this Epistle, except Ter- 
tullian, who ascribes it to Barnabas. It appears 
indeed from the following expression of Jerome, 
that this Epistle was not generally received as ca<- 
nonical Scripture by the Latin church in his time. 
Licet earn Latina consuetudo inter canonicas Scrip- 
turas non recipiat. In Esai. cap. 8. The same 
thing is mentioned in other parts of his works ; but 
many individuals of the Latin church acknow- 
ledged it to be written by St. Paul, as Jerome 
himself, Ambrose, Hilary, and Philaster ; and the 
persons who doubted its genuineness were those 
the least likely to have been acquainted with the 
Epistle at an early period, from the nature of its 
contents not being so interesting to the Latin 
churches, which consisted almost entirely of Gen- 
tile Christians, ignorant probably of the Mosaic 
law, and holding but little intercourse with Jews. 

The 
(d) H. E. lib. 3. cap. 3. 



chap., xxi ij Of the Epistle to the Hebrews. 323 
The moderns, who, upon grounds of internal 
evidence, contend against the genuineness of this 
Epistle, rest principally upon the two following 
arguments, the omission of the writer's name, and 
the superior elegance of the style in which it is 
written. 

1. It is indeed certain, that all the acknow- 
ledged Epistles of St. Paul begin with a salutation 
in his own name, and that, in the Epistle to the 
Hebrews, there is nothing of that kind • but this 
omission can scarcely be considered as conclusive 
against positive testimony. St. Paul might have 
reasons for departing, upon this occasion, from his 
usual mode of salutation, which we at this distant 
period cannot discover. Some have imagined that 
he omitted his name, because he knew that it 
would not have much weight with the Hebrew 
Christians, to whom he was in general obnoxious, 
on account of his zeal in converting the Gentiles, 
and in maintaining that the observance of the 
Mosaic law was- not essential to salvation; it is, 
however, clear, that the persons to whom this 
Epistle was addressed knew from whom it came, 
as the writer refers to some acts of kindness which 
he had received from them (e) ; and also expresses 
a hope of seeing them soon (f). 

2. As to the other argument, I must own that 
there does not appear to me such superiority in 
the style of this Epistle, as should lead to the con- 
clusion that it was not written by St. Paul. Those 
who have thought differently have mentioned Bar- 
nabas, Luke, and Clement, as authors or transla- 
tors of this Epistle. The opinion of Jerome was, 
that" the sentiments are the Apostle's, but the lan- 
guage and composition of some one else, who com- 
mitted to writing the Apostle's sense, and, as it 
were reduced into commentaries the things spoken 

by 
(e) C. 10, v. 34. (f) C. 13. v. 18, 19, and 23. 

p6 



324 Of the Epistle to the Hebrews, [part if* 

by his master." Dr. Lardner says, " My conjec- 
ture is, that Paul dictated the Epistle in Hebrew, 
and another, who was a great master of the Greek 
language, immediately wrote down the Apostle's 
sentiments in his own elegant Greek ; but who this 
assistant of the Apostle was, is altogether un- 
known." But surely the writings of St. Paul, like 
those of other authors, may not all have the same 
precise degree of merit; and if, upon a careful 
perusal and comparison, it should be thought that 
the Epistle to the Hebrews is written with greater 
elegance than the acknowledged compositions of 
this Apostle, it should also be remembered, that 
the apparent design and contents of this Epistle 
suggest the idea of more studied composition, and 
yet that there is nothing in it which amounts to 
a marked difference of style : on the other hand, 
there is the same concise, abrupt, and elliptical 
mode of expression, and it contains many phrases 
and sentiments (g ), which are found in no part of 
Scripture, except in St. Paul's Epistles. We may 
farther observe, that the manner in which Timothy 
is mentioned in this Epistle (h) makes it probable 
that it was written by St. Paul. It was certainly 
written by a person who had suffered imprisonment 
in the cause of Christianity ; and this is known to 
have been the case of St. Paul, but of no other 
person to whom this Epistle has been attributed. 
Upon the whole, both the external and internal 
evidence appear to me to preponderate so greatly 
in favour of St. Paul's being the author of this 
Epistle, that I cannot but consider it as written by 
that Apostle. At the same time I admit that it is 
a thing not absolutely certain. 

II. " They 

(g) Vide Macknight's Preface to this Epistle, sect. Land 
Gardner upon this Epistle, vol. 6. 

(h) C. 13. v. 23. compared with 2 Cor. c. 1. v. 1. and 
CoLc. 1. v. 1. 



chap, xxii.] Of the Epistle to the Hebrews. $25 

II. " They of Italy salute you/' is the only 
expression in this Epistle which can assist us in 
determining from whence it was written. The 
Greek words are 01 ano rug IraMaj, which should 
have been translated, " Those from Italy salute 
you ; " and the only inference to be drawn from them 
seems to be, that St. Paul, when he wrote this 
Epistle, was at a place where some Italian converts 
were. This inference is not incompatible with the 
common opinion, that this Epistle was written from 
Rome, and therefore we consider it as written 
from that city. It is supposed to have been writ- 
ten towards the end of St. Paul's first imprison- 
ment at Rome, or immediately after it, because 
the Apostle expresses an intention of visiting the 
Hebrews shortly ; we therefore place the date of 
this E.pistle in the year 63. 

III. Clement of Alexandria, Eusebius, and 
Jerome, thought that this Epistle was originally 
written in the Hebrew language ; but all the 
other antient fathers, who have mentioned this 
-subject, speak of the Greek as the original work ; 
and as no one pretends to have seen this Epistle 
in Hebrew, as there are no internal marks of the 
Greek being a translation, and as we know that 
the Greek language was at this time very generally 
understood at Jerusalem, we may accede to the 
more common opinion, both among the antients 
and moderns, and consider the present Greek as 
the original text. 

It is no small satisfaction to reflect, that those 
who have denied either the genuineness or the 
originality of this Epistle, have always supposed 
it to have been written or translated by some 
fellow-labourer or assistant of St. Paul, and that 
almost every one admits that it carries with it thje- 
sanction and authority of the inspired Apostle. 

IV. There 



326 Of the Epistle to the Hebrews, [part 11. 

IV. There has been some little doubt concern- 
ing the persons to whom this Epistle was addressed ; 
but by far the most general and most probable 
opinion is, that it was written to those Christians 
of Judsea, who had been converted to the Gospel 
from Judaism. That it was written, notwithstand- 
ing its general title, to the Christians of one certain 
place or country, is evident from the following 
passages : " I beseech you the rather to do this, 
that I may be restored to you the sooner (i). n — - 
" Know ye not that our brother Timothy is set at 
liberty, with whom, if he comes shortly, I will see 
you (k)" And it appears from the following pas- 
sage in the Acts, " When the number of the dis- 
ciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of 
the Grecians against the Hebrews (l)," that certain 
persons were at this time known at Jerusalem by 
the name of Hebrews. They seem to have been 
native Jews, inhabitants of Judsea, the language of 
which country was Hebrew, and therefore they 
were called Hebrews, in contradistinction to those 
Jews, who, residing commonly in other countries, 
although they occasionally came to Jerusalem, 
used the Greek language, and were therefore called 
Grecians. 

V. The general design of this Epistle was to 
confirm the Jewish Christians in the faith and 
practice of the Gospel, which they might be in 
danger of deserting, either through the persuasion 
or persecution of the unbelieving Jews, who were 
very numerous and powerful in Judaea. We may 
naturally suppose, that the zealous adherents to 
the Law would insist upon the majesty and glory 
which attended its first promulgation, upon the 
distinguished character of their legislator Moses, 
and upon the divine authority of the antient Scrip- 

. . tures ; 

(i) C. 13. v. 19. (k) C. 13. v. 23. (I) C. 6. v. 1. 



c h a p . x x 1 1 .] Of the Epistle to the Hebrews^ 327 

tures ; and they might likewise urge the humiliation 
and death (m) of Christ as an argument against the 
truth of his religion. To obviate the impression 
which any reasoning of this sort might make upon 
the converts to Christianity, the writer of this 
Epistle begins with declaring to the Hebrews, that 
the same God, who had formerly, upon a variety 
of occasions, spoken to their fathers by means of 
his prophets, had now sent his only Son for the 
purpose of revealing his will ; he then describes, in 
most sublime language, the dignity of the person 
of Christ (n) ; and thence infers the duty of obey- 
ing his commands, the divine authority of which 
was established by the performance of miracles, and 
by the gifts of the Holy Ghost ; he points out the 
necessity of Christ's incarnation and passion (0) ; 
he shews the superiority of Christ to Moses, and 
warns the Hebrews against the sin of unbelief (p) ; 
he exhorts to stedfastness in the profession of the 
Gospel, and gives an animated description of Christ 
as our high priest (q) ; he shews that the Levitical 
priesthood and the old covenant were abolished 
by the priesthood of Christ, and by the new cove- 
nant (r) ; he points out the inefficacy of the cere- 
monies and sacrifices of the Law, and the suffi- 
ciency of the atonement made by the sacrifice of 
Christ (s) ; he fully explains the nature, merit, and 
effects of faith (t) ; and in the last two chapters 
he gives a variety of exhortations and admonitions, 
all calculated to encourage the Hebrews to bear 
with patience and constancy any trials (u) to which 

they 

(m) Trypho the Jew, in Justin Martyr's dialogue, states 

the crucifixion of Jesus as an argument against his being the 

Messiah ; " for," says he, " we read in the law, that he who is 

crucified is accursed," referring to Deut. c. 21. v. 23. 

(n) C. l. (0) C. 2. (p) C. 3. (q) C. 4 to 7. 
(r) C. 8. (s) C.9and 10. (t) C. 11. 

(u) This Epistle was written not long after the murder of 
James, bishop of Jerusalem ; and it is possible that the Apostle 
might allude to that event in the 7th verse of the 1 3th chapter. 



§2$ Of the Epistle to the Hebrews. [part ir. 
they might be exposed. He concludes with the 
valedictory benediction usual in St. Paul's Epistles, 
(< Grace be with you all. Amen." 

The most important articles of our faith are 
explained, and the most material objections to the 
Gospel are answered with great force in this cele- 
brated Epistle. The arguments used in it, as 
being addressed to persons who had been educated 
in the Jewish religion, are principally taken from 
the antient Scriptures; and the connection be- 
tween former Revelations and the Gospel of Christ, 
is pointed out in the most perspicuous and satis- 
factory manner. 



[ 3^9 ] 



PART II. 



CHAPTER THE TWENTY-THIRD. 

OF THE SEVEN CATHOLIC EPISTLES. 

HPHE Epistle of St. James, the two Epistles of 
St. Peter, the three Epistles of St. John, and 
the Epistle of St. Jude, are called Catholic or Ge- 
neral Epistles. Origen, Eusebius, and many other 
antient authors, mention them under that name ; 
and it is probable that they were so called, because 
most of them were written not to particular persons, 
or to the churches of single cities or countries, as 
St. Paul's Epistles were, but to several churches, 
or to believers in general. Some Latin writers, as 
Dupin observes, have called these Epistles cano- 
nical, either confounding the name with catholic, 
or else to denote that they also were a part of the 
canon of the New Testament. It has been already 
observed, that the Genuineness of five of these 
seven Epistles was for some time doubted, but that 
they have all been universally admitted into the 
sacred canon since the fourth century. 

Many writers enumerate these seven Epistles, 
but not always in the same order (a). The follow- 
ing reasons may be assigned for the order in which 
they stand in our Bibles : The Epistle of James is 
placed first, because he was bishop of the church 
of Jerusalem, the city where the Gospel was first 
preached after the ascension of our Saviour, and 

where 

(a) Vide Lardner, vol. 6. p. 467. 



33° Of the Seven Catholic Epistles, [partii. 
where the first Christian church was established ; 
next come the Epistles of St. Peter, because he is 
considered as the head of the twelve Apostles ; 
then the Epistles of St. John, who was the fa- 
vourite Apostle of Christ, and more distinguished 
than St. Jude, whose Epistle is placed last. 



[ 331 ] 



PART II. 



CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FOURTH. 



OF THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF SAINT JAMES. 

I. History of St. James. — II. Genuineness of this 
Epistle. — III. Its Date. — IV. The Persons to whom 
it was addressed. — V. Design and Substance of it. 

I. TN the catalogue of the Apostles given by the 
Evangelists (a), we find two persons of the 
name of James, of whom one was the son of Zebe- 
dee and brother of John, and the other was son of 
Alphaeus or Cleophas, which are supposed to be 
the same name differently written ( b), or different 
names of the same person. The latter is in the Gos- 
pels called James the Less (c), and the former is 
distinguished by the name of James the Great, 
though that appellation is not given him in Scrip- 
ture. St. Paul mentions one of these two Apostles 
as the Lord's brother (d), that is, his near kinsman ; 
and as there is no reason to think that the son of 
Zebedee was related to Christ, we conclude that he 
speaks of the son of Alphseus, who in other places 
of Scripture is said to be the brother of Christ ( e). 
The degree of his relation to Christ seems to have 

been 

(a) Matt. c. 10. v. 2 and 3. Mark, c. 3. v. 16, &c. Lake, 
c. 6. v. 14, &c. Acts, c. ] . v. 13. 

(b) Vide Lightfoot, torn. 2. p. 59. 

(c) Mark, c. 15. v. 40. (d) Gal. c. 1. t. 19. 
(e) Matt. c. 13. v. 55. Mark, c. 6. v. 3. 



33^ General Epistle of St. James, [part ii« 

been that of cousin-german ; for St. John says, that 
Mary the wife of Cleophas was sister to Mary our 
Saviour's mother (f) ; and St. Mark informs us, 
that the name of the mother of James the Less was 
Mary (g). Some few, both antients and moderns, 
have thought that James, the Lord's brother, was 
not his cousin-german, but that he was the son of 
Joseph,Christ's reputed father, by a former wife (h). 
This opinion is not supported by any authority of 
Scripture, and probably originated from not consi- 
dering that among the Jews, persons nearly related 
were called brothers, 

James the Less was the author of this Epistle. 
We have no account of his call to the apostleship, 
nor are any particulars recorded of him in the 
Gospels. In the Acts, and in St. Paul's Epistles, he 
is several times mentioned with great distinction^ i), 
but not in a manner to furnish us with many cir- 
cumstances of his history. He seems to have been 
appointed by the other Apostles, and, as Lardner 
thinks, soon after the martyrdom of St. Stephen, 
to reside at Jerusalem, and to superintend the affairs 
of the church there, while the rest of the Apostles 
travelled into other countries. His near relation 
to our Saviour was probably the cause of his being 
selected for this honourable station, the duties of 
which he discharged with such inflexible integrity 
and holy zeal, that he obtained the surname of 
James the Just. By antient writers (k) he is 
called bishop of Jerusalem, and is considered as 
presiding in that character at the council holden at 
Jerusalem, for the purpose of determining whether it 



(f) John, c. 19. v. 25. 

(g) C. 15. v. 40. It sometimes happened that brothers and 
sisters among the Jews had the same names, but it was not 
a very common thing. 

(h) Lardner, vol. 6. p. 493. 

(i) Acts, c. 12. v. 17. c. 15. v. 13. c. 21. v. 18. 1 Cor. 
c. 15.V. 7. Gal. c. l.v. 19. Gal. c. 2. v. 9 and 12. 
(k) Eus. H. E. lib. 2. c. l and 23. Chrys. torn. 10. p. 355- 



chap, xxiv.] General Epistle of St. J r ames. 333 

were necessary that Gentile converts to the Gospel 
should be circumcised. Upon that occasion he was 
the last who delivered his sentiments ; and he sum- 
med up the arguments, and proposed the substance 
of the decree, to which the whole assembly readily 
acceded. He was put to death in the year 62, in 
a tumult raised by the unbelieving Jews, when there 
was no Roman governor in Judsea (I), Festus being 
dead, and his successor Albinus not yet arrived. 

James the Less was a person of great prudence 
and discretion, and was highly esteemed by the 
Apostles and other Christians. Such indeed was 
his genera] reputation for piety and virtue, that as 
we learn from Origen, Eusebius, and Jerome, Jose- 
phus thought, and declared it to be the common 
opinion, that the sufferings of the Jews, and the 
destruction of their city and temple, were owing to 
the anger of God, excited by the murder of James. 
This must be considered as a strong and remarkable 
testimony to the character of this Apostle, as it is 
given by a person who did not believe that Jesus 
was the Christ. The passages of Josephus, referred 
toby those fathers upon this subject, are not found 
in his works now extant (m). 

II. Clement of Rome and Hernias allude to 
this Epistle ; and it is quoted by Origen, Eusebius, 
Athanasius, Jerome, Chrysostom, Augustine, and 
many other fathers. But though the antiquity of 
this Epistle has been always undisputed, some few, 
as has been stated, formerly doubted its right to 

be 

(I) Eus. H. E. lib. 2. cap. 23. Lardner, v. 7. p. 129. 

(m) V r ide Lardner, vol. 6. p. 479. Dr. Doddridge is of 
opinion, that these quotations from Josephus deserve but little . 
credit. Lect. vol. 1. p. 410. On the other hand, Mr. Milner 
considers them as authentic, vol. 1. c. 2. It is remarkable 
that Origen mentions this circumstance in three different 
parts of his works ; namely, in the first and second books 
against Celsus, and in his Commentary upon St. Matthew, 
p. 223. edit. Huet. 



334 General Epistle of St. James. [paetil 

be admitted into the canon. Eusebius says, that 
in his time it was generally, though not universally, 
received as canonical ; and publicly read in most, 
but not in all, churches ; and Estius ( n) affirms, 
that after the fourth century, no church or eccle- 
siastical writer is found who ever doubted its au- 
thenticity ; but that, on the contrary, it is included 
in all subsequent catalogues of canonical Scripture, 
whether published by councils, churches, or indi- 
viduals. It had indeed been the uniform tradition 
of the church, -that this Epistle was written by 
James the Just, bishop of Jerusalem ; but it was 
not universally admitted, till after the fourth cen- 
tury, that James the Just was the same person as 
James the Less, one of the twelve Apostles ; that 
point being ascertained, the canonical authority of 
this Epistle was no longer doubted. 

It is evident that this Epistle could not have been 
written by James the Great, for he was beheaded by 
Herod Agrippa in the year 44, and the errors and 
vices reproved in this Epistle shew it to be of a much 
later date ; and the destruction of Jerusalem is also 
here spoken of as being very near at hand (0). 

It has always been considered as a circumstance 
very much in favour of this Epistle, that it is found 
in the Syriac version, which was made as early as 
the end of the first century, and for the particular 
use of converted Jews, the very description of per- 
sons, as we shall see presently, to whom it was 
originally addressed. Hence we infer, that it was 
from the first acknowledged by those for whose 
instruction it was intended ; and " I think," says 
Dr. Doddridge, " it can hardly be doubted but they 
were better judges of the question of its authen- 
ticity than the Gentiles, to whom it was not writ- 
ten ; among whom, therefore, it was not likely to 

be 

(n) A Dutch divine of great eminence, who died in the 
beginning of the last century. 
(o) C. 5. v. 8 and 9. 



chap, xxiv.] General Epistle of St. James. 335 
be propagated so early ; and who at first might be 
prejudiced against it, because it was inscribed to 
the Jews." 

The following short passage from Jerome con- 
firms almost all the particulars which have been 
mentioned : " Jacobus, qui appellatur frater Do- 
mini, cognomento Justus, ut nonnulli existimant, 
Josephi ex alia uxore, ut autem mihi videtur, 
Marise sororis matris Domini (cujus Joannes in 
libro suo meminit) films, post passionem Domini 
ab apostolis Hierosolymarum episcopus ordinatus, 
unam tantum scripsit epistolam, quae de septem 
catholicis est (p)." 

III. It is generally believed that this Epistle was 
written a short time before the death of James, and 
therefore we may place its date, with great proba- 
bility, in the year 61. 

IV. Lardneb. and others have thought that this 
Epistle was addressed to unbelieving as well as be- 
lieving Jews, and have quoted the beginning of 
the fourth and fifth chapters, as applicable to un- 
believers only. I must own, that in these passages 
the Apostle appears to me merely to allude to the 
great corruptions into which Christians had then 
fallen. I cannot think it probable that James 
would write part of his Epistle to believers and 
part to unbelievers, without any mention or notice 
of that distinction. It should also be remembered, 
that this Epistle contains no general arguments 
for the truth of Christianity, nor any reproof of 
those who refused to embrace the Gospel; and 
therefore, though I admit that the inscription, 
" To the twelve tribes that are scattered abroad/' 
might comprehend both unbelieving and believing 
Jews, yet I am of opinion that it was intended for 

the 
(p) Tom. 4. P. 2. p. 102. Ed. Benedict. 



336 General Epistle of St. James, [part 11. 

the believing Jews only, and that St. James did not 
expressly make the discrimination, because neither 
he, nor any other Apostle, ever thought of writing 
to any but Christian converts. The object of the 
apostolical Epistles was to confirm and not to con- 
vert ; to correct what was amiss in those who did 
believe, and not in those who did not believe. The 
sense of the above inscription seems to be limited 
to the believing Jews by what follows almost im- 
mediately, " The trial of your Faith worketh pa- 
tience (q)." And again, " My brethren, have not 
the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of 
Glory, with respect of persons (r)." These pas- 
sages could not be addressed to unbelievers. 

V. The immediate design of this Epistle was to 
animate the Jewish Christians to support with for- 
titude and patience any sufferings to which they 
might be exposed, and to enforce the genuine 
doctrine and practice of the Gospel, in opposition 
to the errors and vices which then prevailed among 
them. The principal source of these errors and 
vices was a misinterpretation of St. Paul's doctrine 
of justification by faith without the works of the 
Law, that is, as the Apostle meant it, without the 
observance of the rites and ceremonies of the 
Mosaic dispensation ; but hence, some had most 
unwarrantably inferred, that moral duties were not 
essential to salvation, and had therefore abandoned 
themselves to every species of licentiousness and 
profligacy. 

St. James begins by shewing the benefits of trials 
and afflictions, and by assuring the Jewish Chris- 
tians that God would listen to their sincere prayers 
for assistance and support; he reminds them of their 
being the distinguished objects of divine favour, 
and exhorts them to practical religion (s) ; to a 

just 
faJC.i.v.3. (V)C.2.v. 1. (s)C.l. 



chap, xxiv.] General Epistle of St. James. 337 
just and impartial regard for the poor, and to an 
uniform obedience to all the commands of God, 
without any distinction or exception ; he shews the 
inefficacy of faith without works, that is, without 
a performance of the moral duties (t) ; he incul- 
cates the necessity of a strict government of the 
tongue, and cautions them against censoriousness, 
strife, malevolence, pride, indulgence of their sen- 
sual passions, and rash judgment (u) ; he denounces 
threats against those who make an improper use 
of riches ; he intimates the approaching destruction 
of Jerusalem ; and concludes with exhortations to 
patience, devotion, and a solicitous concern for 
the salvation of others (x). 

This Epistle is written with great perspicuity 
and energy, and it contains an excellent summary 
of those practical duties and moral virtues, which 
are required of Christians. 

(t)C.9. (\)C.3and4. (x) C. 5. 



I 338 1 



PART II. 



CHAPTER THE TWENTY-FIFTH. 

OF THE FIRST GENERAL EPISTLE OF 
ST. PETER. 

I. History of Peter. — II. Genuineness of this Epistle. 
— III. To whom it was addressed. — IV. Whence 
it was written. — V. Its Date. — VI. Design and 
Substance of it. , 

I. CIMON PETER was born at Bethsaida (a), a 
city of Upper Galilee. His father's name was 
Jonas, and he had a brother called Andrew, but it is 
not known which was the elder ( b). He was a mar- 
ried man, and lived at Capernaum, and he and his 
brother were fishermen upon the Lake of Genne- 
sareth. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, 
and hearing him declare Jesus to be the Lamb of 
God, he followed Jesus, and continued with him the 
rest of that day. Andrew having found his brother, 
carried him to Jesus, who, when he saw him, said, 
" Thou art Simon the son of Jonas ; thou shalt be 
called Cephas (c) " or Peter, " which is by inter- 
pretation a stone" or rock (d). Though Peter and 
Andrew seem to have been now convinced that 
Jesus was the Messiah, yet they continued to carry 
on their trade of fishing, till Christ called them to 

attend 

(a) John, c. 1 . v. 44. 

(b) Epiphanius says that Andrew, and Chrysostom and 
Jerome say that Peter, was the elder brother. 

(c) Cephas is a Syriac word. (d) John, c. 1. v. 42. 



chap, xxv.] First General Epistle of St. Peter. 339 
attend constantly upon himself, and promised to 
make them " fishers of men (e)" in allusion to the 
success which they should have in making converts 
to the Gospel. They were afterwards appointed 
of the number of the twelve Apostles. Peter en- 
joyed the favour of his divine Master in a peculiar 
degree ; and the many remarkable circumstances 
recorded concerning him in the Gospels and Acts, 
seem to point him out as the chief of the twelve 
Apostles. Our Saviour is supposed to have had no 
other fixed residence, after he began his ministry, 
but with St. Peter at Capernaum ; and probably 
upon that ground application was made to him for 
the tribute money due from Christ (f). In the 
history of St. John, I have mentioned three occa- 
sions on which only Peter and the two sons of 
Zebedee were allowed to accompany our Saviour, 
namely, when he restored to life the daughter of 
Jairus (g), when he was transfigured on the 
Mount (h), and when he endured his agony in the 
Garden (i). Peter was one of the four Apostles to 
whom our Saviour delivered his predictions relative 
to the destruction of Jerusalem (k). Peter and John 
were sent to prepare the last passover for Christ (I). 
The angel at the holy sepulchre commanded that 
the disciples, and Peter in particular, should be 
informed of Christ's resurrection (m) ; and Peter 
was the first man (n), as Mary Magdalene was the 
first woman (0), to whom Christ appeared after he 

rose 

(e) Matt. c. 4. v. IS and 19. Mark, c. 1. v. 17. Luke, c. g. 
v. 10. (f) Matt. c. 17. v. 24, &c. 

(g) Mark, c. 5. v. 37. Luke, c. 8. v. 51. 

(h) Matt. c. 17. v. l. Mark, c. 9. v. 2. Luke, c. 9. v. 28. 

(i) Matt. c. 26. v. 36. Mark, c. 14. v. 32, &c. 

(k) Mark, c. 13. v. 3. 

(I) Mark, c. 14. v. 13. Luke, c. 22. v. 8. 

(m) Mark, c. 16. v. 7. 

(n) Luke, c. 24. v. 34. 1 Cor. c. 15, v. 5. '£v atyaei rovru 
wgdoTa; to n*aXir« avraiv iroQuvri ihiv. Chrys. 

(0) John, c. 20. v. 1 5. 

Q 2 



340 First General Epistle of St. Peter, [part ii. 
rose from the dead. Our Saviour said to him, in 
explanation of the name which he himself had 
given him, " Thou art Peter, and upon this rock 
will I build my church : and I will give unto thee 
the keys of the kingdom of heaven (p)" And 
after his resurrection, three several times, and with 
great earnestness, he commanded him to feed his 
sheep (q). When Christ put any question to the 
Apostles at large, Peter always gave the answer ; 
and he frequently addressed our Saviour when the 
other disciples were silent, as when he rebuked 
him for speaking of his own sufferings ; when he 
enquired how often a brother might offend and be 
forgiven ; and when he objected to his washing his 
feet. It was Peter who proposed that another 
Apostle should be chosen in the room of Judas 
Iscariot (r) ; who preached to the multitude, when 
they were astonished at the gift of tongues com- 
municated by the Holy Ghost on the day of Pen- 
tecost (s) ; who questioned Ananias and Sapphira 
concerning the price of their land, and in a mira- 
culous manner punished their falsehood with in- 
stant death (t) ; and who spoke in the name of the 
Apostles, when they were apprehended and ac- 
cused by the Sanhedrim (u). Through Peter and 
John, the Samaritan believers received the Holy 
Ghost (x) ; but it was Peter alone, who, by the im- 
mediate command of God himself, admitted Cor- 
nelius, the first Gentile convert, into the Christian 
faith (y) ; and his account of the circumstances 
attending that important event convinced the 
Apostles and other disciples, that " to the Gentiles 
also God had granted repentance unto life (z)" 
And thus, as St, Peter had been the first Apostle 

who 

(p) Matt. c. l6. v. 18. (q) John, c. 21. v. 15, &c. 

(r) Acts, c. l. v. 15. (s) Acts, c. 2. v. 14, &c. 

(t) Acts, c. 5. v. 1. (u) Acts, c. 5. v. 29. 

(x) Acts, c. 8. v. 14. (y) Acts, c. 10. v. 1, &c. 
(V) Acts, c. 11. v. 18. 



chap, xxv.] First General Epistle of St. Peter. 341 

who preached to the Jews immediately after the 
descent of the Holy Ghost, so, about eight years 
afterwards, he was also the first who preached to 
the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius at Csesarea. 
By these means he may be said to have founded 
the Universal Church of Christ ; and this is sup- 
posed to have been the meaning of our Lord's 
words, " Upon this rock will I build my Church, 
and I will give thee the keys of Heaven ; " for 
by being the first person who explained the Gospel 
both to Jews and to Gentiles, after the ascension of 
our Saviour, he, as it were, opened the doors of 
heaven to all mankind. He seems to have per- 
formed more miracles than any other of the Apos- 
tles, for the people " brought their sick for the 
purpose of having his shadow pass over them ( a)" 
When he was imprisoned by Herod Agrippa, prayer 
was made for him without ceasing by the Church, 
and he was miraculously delivered out of prison 
by an angel, though Herod had been permitted to 
put James the Great to death (b). The speech of 
Peter, at the council of Jerusalem, so often men- 
tioned, is recorded, but of no other person except 
of James the Less, bishop of Jerusalem ( c) ; and 
St. Paul tells us, that to St. Peter was committed 
the Gospel of the circumcision (d), whence he is 
called the Apostle of the Jews, as St. Paul is called 
the Apostle of the Gentiles. And lastly, in all the 
catalogues of the Apostles, and whenever he is 
mentioned in conjunction with others, in the Gos- 
pels or Acts, the name of Peter stands first (e). 
Though these facts may lead us to consider Peter 

as 

(a) Acts, c. 5. v. 15. (b) Acts, c. 12. v. 1. &c. 

(c) Acts, c. 15. v. 6, &c. ( d) Gal. c. 2. v. 7. 

(e) There is a variety in the order in which the names 
of the other Apostles are mentioned, and in the Epistles, 
namely, Gal. c. 2. v. 9. there is a single instance of St. Peter's 
name not standimg first ; " And when James, Cephas, and 
John," &c. James was probably placed first by St. Paul upon 
this occasion, because he was bishop of Jerusalem. 

Q 3 



34^ First General Epistle of St. Peter, [part *i> 
as the chief, or the most distinguished, of the twelve 
Apostles, yet they by no means prove that he had 
any superior dignity or jurisdiction over the rest; 
" One is your master, even Christ, but all ye are 
brethren (f)" 

No mention is made of Peter in the Acts, after 
the council at Jerusalem ; nor is any subsequent 
circumstance recorded of him in the Epistles, ex- 
cept that he was at Antioch not long afterwards (g). 
The only authentic account, which we have of the 
remaining part of his life, is from Origen, as quoted 
by Eusebius (h), who says in general terms, that 
Peter is supposed to have preached to the Jews of 
the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, Cap- 
padocia, and Asia ; and that at length, coming to 
Rome, he was crucified with his head downwards, 
himself having desired that it might be in that 
manner (i). That St. Peter should die by cruci- 
fixion, had been foretold by Christ (k) ; and 
St. Peter himself alluded to that prediction (I). 
All antient writers (m) concur in asserting that 
St. Peter suffered martyrdom at Rome, in the first 
persecution of the Christians in the reign of Nero, 
probably in the year 65 ; but at what time he went 
thither, and whether this was his first visit to that 
city, is not certainly known. As he is not men- 
tioned in any of St. Paul's Epistles written from 
Rome, we conclude that he was not there during 
St. Paul's first imprisonment in that city ; and upon 
the whole it seems probable, as Lardner thinks, 

that 

(f) Matt. c. 23. v. 8. (g) Gal. c. 2. v. 11. 

(h) H.E. lib. 3. cap. 1. 

(i) Ambrose says, that St. Peter made this request from a 
sense of humility, as not thinking himself worthy to die in 
the same manner his divine Master had died. 

(k) John, c. 21. r. 18. (I) 2 Pet. c. 1. v. 14, 

(m) And yet the learned moderns, Scaliger, Salmasius, 
Spanheim, Bower, and Semler, have either doubted or denied 
that St. Peter ever was at Rome. 



€HAP. xxv.] First General Epistle of St.Peter. 343 
that St. Peter did not go to Rome till the year 
63 or 64. 

As John was the Apostle who was favoured with 
the greatest share of our Saviour's affection, so 
Peter seems to have been considered by him as the 
Apostle, whose disposition would lead him to be the 
most active and instrumental in propagating his 
religion; and that this was really the case, the 
Acts of the Apostles sufficiently prove. Confi- 
dence and zeal form a conspicuous part of his cha- 
racter ; but he was sometimes deficient in firmness 
and resolution. He had the faith to walk upon the 
water to his divine Master ; but when the sea grew 
boisterous, his faith deserted him, and he became 
afraid (n). He was forward to acknowledge Jesus 
to be the Messiah (0), and declared himself ready 
to die in that profession (p) ; and yet, soon after, 
he thrice denied, and with oaths, that he knew 
any thing of Jesus ( q). The warmth of his temper 
led him to cut off the ear of the high priest's ser- 
vant (r), and by his timidity and dissimulation re- 
specting the Gentile converts at Antioch, he incur- 
red the censure of the eager and resolute St.Paulf s^. 
13ut while we lament this occasional want of stea- 
diness and consistency in St. Peter, we should 
remember that his good qualities seem not to have 
been mixed with any other infirmity; and his 
voluntary acknowledgment to Christ of his being 
a sinful man, the bitter remorse which he felt upon 
the denial of his Master, and his submission to the 
reproof of St. Paul, justify us in concluding, that 
to his zeal he added humility, which are virtues 
rarely united in the same person. 

II. This 

(n) Matt. c. 14. v. 28, &c. 

(o) Matt. c. 16. v. 16. Mark, c. 8. v. 29. Luke, c. 9. v. 20. 
John, c. 6. v. 68 and 69. 

(p) Matt. c. 26. v. 35. (q) Matt. c. 26. v. 69, &C. 

(r) John, c. 18. v. 10.. (§) Gal. c.2. v. II. 

Q 4 



344 First General Epistle of St, Peter, [part 11, 

II. This Epistle has always been considered as 
canonical ; and in proof of its genuineness we may 
observe, that it is referred to by Clement of Rome, 
Hermas, and Polycarp ; that we are assured by 
Eusebius, that it was quoted by Papias ; and that 
it is expressly mentioned by Irenseus, Clement of 
Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, and most of the 
later fathers. 

III. It is addressed " to the strangers scattered 
through Pontus, Galatia, Cappadoeia, Asia, and 
Bithynia." Great doubts have arisen, whether by 
strangers were meant Jewish or Gentile Christians* 
or Christians of both denominations. As there is 
nothing in the Epistle itself to lead us to think that 
the Apostle intended it for any particular descrip- 
tion of Christians, I consider it as addressed to the 
Christians in general of the above countries of 
Asia Minor, and shall only remark, that it is pro- 
bable, that most of them had been converted from 
heathenism (t). The word " strangers," is used 
a second time in this Epistle, and it seems to inti- 
mate that true Christians should consider them- 
selves as sojourners upon earth, and fix their hopes 
and prospects upon another world ; and by being 
" scattered throughout Pontus and the other 
countries," St. Peter only means that they lived at 
a distance from each other, and were but few in 
number, when compared with the idolaters and 
unbelievers among whom they lived. 

IV. The Apostle wrote this Epistle from a place 
which he calls Babylon : " The church that is at 
Babylon saluteth you ;" but it is very doubtful what 
place is meant by that name. Some commentators 
have thought that Babylon in Assyria, and others, 

that 

(t) Those who wish to see this question more fully discussed, 
may consult Benson, Lardner, Michaelis, and Macknight. 



tfHAP. xxv.] First General Epistle of St. Peter. 345 
that Babylon in Egypt, was intended, but there is 
no antient testimony whatever of St. Peter having 
been in either of those countries. At the same 
time it must be acknowledged, that there is so 
long an interval, in which we have no account of 
St. Peter, that it is very possible he might have 
travelled both into Assyria and Egypt. There was 
also a third Babylon, namely, in Seleucia, whence 
Beausobre and L'Enfant think it most probable 
that this Epistle was written, because that city 
abounded with Jews ; but this reason does not ap- 
pear to me sufficient to warrant such a conclusion. 
Upon the whole, it may be best to accede to the 
more general opinion, that Babylon is here used 
figuratively for Rome ; and more especially since 
Eusebius, the oldest author extant who mentions 
this subject, says, that in his time it was thought 
that this Epistle was written from Rome (u). It 
is certain that St. John used Babylon figuratively 
for Rome in the Revelation. Some few persons 
have been inclined to think, that St. Peter wrote 
this Epistle from Jerusalem. 

V. If we be right in considering this Epistle as 
written from Rome, we may place its date about 
the year 64 ; since there is no reason to believe 
that Peter went to Rome till after Paul's release 
from imprisonment in that city, in the year 63. 

VI. The general design of this Epistle is to ex- 
hort to practical virtue, to a quiet and blameless 
life, and to patience and fortitude under distresses 
and persecutions. St. Peter, after his salutation, 
begins with returning thanks to God for the bless- 
ing of the Gospel dispensation, which, he observes, 
had been distinctly foretold by the prophets ; he 
next exhorts his Christian brethren to holiness and 

purity ; 
(u) H. E. lib. 2. cap. 15. 
Q5 



346 • First General Epistle of St. Peter, [part ||> 
purity ; and represents the passion of Christ as 
pre-ordained before the foundation of the world, 
and its benefits as extending to all eternity (x) \ 
he proceeds to recommend meekness, self-govern- 
ment, and obedience to magistrates ; he enforces 
the duties of servants (y), of wives, and husbands ; 
he enjoins harmony, compassion, courtesy, a ra- 
tional knowledge of the Christian faith, and a steady 
adherence to it under trials and temptations (z) ; 
from a consideration of the last judgment, he in- 
culcates sobriety, devotion, and universal benevo- 
lence; and encourages the Christians to bear 
afflictions with resignation and cheerfulness (a) ; 
and in the last chapter he gives directions for the 
conduct of persons of different ages and situations ; 
recommends mutual subjection, humility, and 
vigilance; and adds a general benediction and 
doxology (b). 

This Epistle is very generally admired as a com- 
position : Erasmus says, that it is worthy of the 
Prince of the Apostles, and full of apostolical dig- 
nity and majesty ; and Osterwald calls it one of 
the finest works of the New Testament. Whoever 
will compare this Epistle with those of St. Paul, 
will find so exact a conformity between the senti- 
ments and precepts contained in them, that he will 
be convinced, as Estius observes, that the doctrine 
of both proceeded from one and the same Spirit 
of God. 

(x) C. 1. (y) C. 2. (Z) C. 3- 

(a) C A. (b) C. 5- 



[ 347 ] 
PART IL 

CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SIXTH. 

QF THE SECOND GENERAL EPISTLE OF 
ST. PETER: 

I. Genuineness of this Epistle. — II. Its Design and 
Date. — III. The Substance of it. 

L PLEMENT of Rome and Hernias refer to this 
Epistle; it is mentioned by Origen and 
Eusebius, and has been universally received since 
the fourth century, except by the Syriac Christians. 

II. It is addressed to the same persons as the 
former Epistle, and the design of it was to encou- 
rage them to adhere to the genuine faith and prac- 
tice of the Gospel. It was written when the Apostle 
foresaw that his death was at no great distance ; 
and he might hope that advice and instruction 
given under such circumstances would have the 
greater weight. As he is supposed to have suffered 
martyrdom in the year 65, we may place the date 
of this Epistle in the beginning of that year. It 
was probably written from Rome. 

III. St. Peter, after saluting the Christian con- 
verts, and representing the glorious promises of 
the Gospel dispensation, exhorts them to cultivate 
those virtues and graces, which would make their 
calling and election sure ; he expresses his anxiety 
to remind them of their duty at a time when he 

q 6 " was 



348 Second General Epistle of St. Peter, [part it, 
was conscious of his approaching end ; he declares 
the divine origin of the Christian faith, which was 
attested by a voice from heaven, and by the sure 
word of prophecy (a) ; he foretels the rise of 
heresies and false doctrines, and denounces severe 
judgments against those who shall desert the 
truth, while they who adhere to it will be spared, 
as Noah and Lot were in former times ( b) ; he as- 
sures his Christian brethren, that the object of this, 
and of his former Epistle, was to urge them to ob- 
serve the precepts which they had received; he 
cautions them against false teachers, represents the 
certainty of the day of judgment, reminds them of 
the doctrines which he and St. Paul had incul- 
cated, and exhorts them to grow in grace, and 
in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ (c). 

Some learned men have thought that the style 
of the second chapter of this Epistle is materially 
different from that of the other two chapters, and 
have therefore suspected its Genuineness. I must 
own that I observe no other difference than that 
which arises from the difference of the subjects. 
The subject of the second chapter may surely lead 
us to suppose, that the pen of the Apostle was 
guided by a higher degree of Inspiration than when 
writing in a didactic manner; it is written with 
the animation and energy of the prophetic style ; 
but there does not appear to me to be any thing, 
either in phrase or sentiment, inconsistent with the 
acknowledged writings of St. Peter. 

Bishop Sherlock was of opinion, that in this 
chapter St. Peter adopted the sentiments and lan- 
guage of some Jewish author, who had described 
the false teachers of his own times. This conjec- 
ture is entirely unsupported by antient authority, 
and it is in itself very highly improbable. 

(a) C. l, (b) C. 2. (c) C. a. 



t 349 ] 
PART II. 

CHAPTER THE TWENTY-SEVENTH. 

OF THE FIRST GENERAL EPISTLE OF 
ST. JOHN. 

I. Genuineness of this Epistle. — II. The Persons to 
whom it was addressed. — III. Its Date. — IV. De- 
sign and Substance of it, 

I. (^LEMENT of Rome and Polycarp refer to 
this Epistle ; and Eusebius tells us that it 
was quoted by Papias. It is expressly mentioned 
by Iremeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, 
Origen, and Dionysius of Alexandria ; and indeed 
the unanimous suffrage of antiquity attributes this 
Epistle to St. John the Evangelist (a). 

II. There have been great doubts, both among 
the antients and the moderns, concerning the per- 
sons to whom it was addressed. Some have sup- 
posed that it was written to the inhabitants of 
Parthia, because St. John is said to have preached 
the Gospel in that country, but of this there is not 
sufficient evidence ; others have supposed, that it 
was addressed to the churches of Asia, and others, 
to the Christians of Judsea, because John had 
preached in both those countries ; but as there is 

no 

' (a) Dr. Macknight, in his Preface to this Epistle, has shewn 
that there is a great similarity between St. John's Gospel and 
this Epistle, both in point of sentiment and expression. 



3 50 First Epistle of St. John. [p a r t i i . 

no expression of limitation in any part of the 
Epistle, I am inclined to consider it as written to 
Christians in general, of every place, and of every 
denomination. 

III. There has also been considerable doubt 
concerning the date of this Epistle ; some have 
supposed that it was written before, and others 
after, the destruction of Jerusalem. In the follow* 
ing passage, " It is the last time ; and as we have 
heard that Antichrist shall come, even now are 
there many Antichrists, whereby we know that it 
is the last time (b)," the Apostle seems to allude 
to the approaching dissolution of the Jewish state, 
and to Christ's predictions ( c) concerning the false 
teachers who were to appear before the destruction 
of Jerusalem ; and therefore I place its date about 
the year 69. It is impossible to ascertain where 
it was written, but it seems most probable that it 
was written in Judsea. 

IV. Its principal design was to preserve the 
Christians in the true faith of Christ, in opposition 
to the erroneous doctrines which had then begun 
to make their appearance, and were afterwards 
maintained by the Gnostics, Docetse, and Cerin- 
thians. 

The Apostle begins by assuring the Christian 
converts, that he had seen and heard every thing, 
which he had delivered to them concerning Christ ; 
he declares, that if we walk in light, that is, sin- 
cerely endeavour to obey the precepts of the. Gos- 
pel, the blood of Christ will cleanse us from all 
unrighteousness ; he condemns those, who say that 
they are guilty of no sin, and recommends, confes- 
sion of sins (d)j he asserts the universality of 
Christ's propitiation ; he states, that the knowledge 

of 

(b)C. 2. v. 18. (c) Matt. c. 24. v. 5 & 24. (d)C.i. 



chap, xxvn] First Epistle of St. John. 351 

of God consists in the observance of his command- 
ments ; he cautions the Christian converts against 
the love of this world, and against false teachers (e); 
he points out the love of God for mankind, and 
thence inculcates the duty of mutual love among 
men (f) ; he urges farther cautions against false 
teachers, and especially against those who deny 
that Christ is come in the flesh, that is, who deny 
the pre-existence of Christ, and the incarnation of 
the Son of God (g), he repeats his admonitions to 
mutual love (h), and to the observance of God's 
commandments ; he pronounces, that " the whole 
world lieth in wickedness," and that " God has 
given us eternal life through his Son (i)" 

This Epistle has neither inscription in the begin- 
ning, nor salutation or benediction at the end ; and 
indeed it has so little of the epistolary form, that 
some persons consider it as a treatise rather than 
a letter. 

. (e) C 2. Cf) C. 3 : 

(g) Some of these early heretics maintained that the Christ 
was not a real man, but a phantom, and that he did not really 
suffer death; others, that the Son of God was united with 
Jesus at his baptism, and left him before his crucifixion. 

(h) C. 4. (i) C. 5. 



t 352 j 
PART II. 

CHAPTER THE TWENTY-EIGHTH. 

OF THE SECOND GENERAL EPISTLE OF 
ST. JOHN. 

I. Genuineness of this Epistle. — II. To whom it was 
addressed. — III. Design and Substance of it.— 
IV. Its Date. 

I. HPHIS Epistle is quoted by Irenseus, Clement 
of Alexandria, Origen, and Dionysius of 
Alexandria ; and therefore its antiquity is unques- 
tionable, although it was formerly doubted whether 
it was written by John the Evangelist, or John the 
Presbyter of Ephesiis ; but since the fourth cen- 
tury, it has been allowed to be the genuine work 
of St. John the Evangelist, and as such it is ad- 
mitted into the canon. 

II. In the inscription of this Epistle, St. John, 
without mentioning his name, calls himself the 
Elder, which title he probably adopted as being 
a term of honourable distinction in the primitive 
church. It is addressed Eh^shtyi Kugioy concerning 
the meaning of which words there has been a variety 
of opinions (a). Some fancying thatE/tte*™ is a 
proper name, have translated them, to the Lady 
Eclecta ; others have taken Kvgux. to be a proper 

name, 

<a) Vide Wolfii Prolegom, in Ep. Joan. 2dam, and Bea- 
sob's Preface to the second and third Epistles of St John. 



chap, xxviii.] Second Epistle of St. John, 353 
name, and have translated the words, to the elect 
Kyria or Cyria; others have thought that the 
Christian church in general, or that some particu- 
lar church was meant, as of Philadelphia or Jeru- 
salem. Our translators have rendered the words, 
To the Elect Lady, which is the common accept- 
ation of them, and from which I see no reason for 
departing; I therefore consider that this Epistle 
was written to some lady of eminence, styled elect 
on account of her distinguished piety. The place 
of her residence is not known. 

III. This Epistle consists of only thirteen verses; 
and Dr. Lardner observes, that of these thirteen 
" eight may be found in the first Epistle, either 
in sense or expression." The design of it was to 
caution the lady, to whom it was addressed, against 
those false teachers, who asserted that Christ was 
not a real man, but only a man in appearance ; and 
that he did not actually suffer what he seemed to 
suffer. This doctrine the Apostle condemns in very 
severe terms, as being destructive of the atonement 
of Christ ; and he recommends, that no encourage- 
ment or countenance should be given to those who 
maintain it; he inculcates also the necessity of obe- 
dience to the commandments of God, and of mu- 
tual love and benevolence among Christians. 

IV. From the similarity between the sentiments 
and expressions of this and the former Epistle, it is 
conjectured that they were written at nearly the 
same time ; and therefore we place the date of this 
Epistle also in the year 69. 



t 354 ] 



PART II. 



CHAPTER THE TWENTY-NINTH. 

OF THE THIRD GENERAL EPISTLE OF 
ST. JOHN. 

I. Genuineness of this Epistle. — II. Its Inscription 
and Date. — III. Design and Substance of it. — 
IV. Observations upon this and the foregoing 
Epistle. 

I. TGNATIUS is supposed to have referred to 
this Epistle, and it is mentioned by Origen, 
Eusebius, Cyril, and most of the later fathers. 
The same doubts were formerly entertained con- 
cerning it, as concerning the preceding Epistle, 
and they were removed at the same time. 

II. This Epistle, in which also the Apostle calls 
himself the Elder, is addressed to Caius ; but it is 
not known who this Caius or Gaius was. Several 
persons of that name are mentioned in the New 
Testament (a) ; and in the antient history of the 
church we meet with one Caius, who was bishop 
of Ephesus; a second, who was bishop of Thessa- 
lonica; and a third, who was bishop of Pergamus; 
all of whom are said to have been contemporary 
with John. It is impossible to ascertain to which, 
or whether to any, of these several persons this 

Epistle 

(a) Acts, c. 19. v. 29. c. 20. v. 4. l Cor. c. 1. v. 14. 
Rom. c. 16. v. 23. 



chap, xxix.] Third Epistle of St. John . 3 55 

Epistle was addressed ; but the commendation of 
the hospitality of Cains seems to imply, that he 
was in a private station, and that he was possessed 
of some substance. It is supposed to have been 
written soon after the two former, that is, about 
the year 69. 

III. The design of this short Epistle was to com- 
mend Caius for having shewn kindness to some 
Christians, as they passed through the place where 
he resided ; to censure Diotrephes, who had arro- 
gantly assumed some authority to himself; and to 
praise the good conduct of Demetrius. It is not 
known who Diotrephes and Demetrius were. 

IV. This, and the foregoing Epistle, are sup- 
posed to have been written from Ephesus ; and it 
is probable that the persons to whom they were 
addressed lived at no great distance from that city, 
as St. John expresses a hope of seeing them shortly. 
These Epistles are improperly called catholic, as 
they are written to private persons ; which circum- 
stance may account for their not being generally 
known in the primitive church. 



L 356 ] 
PART II. 

CHAPTER THE THIRTIETH. 

OF THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF ST.JUDE. 

I. History of St. Jude. — II. Genuineness of this 
Epistle. — III. Its Inscription and Date. — IV. 
Substance of it. 

I. TUDAS, or Jude, called also Lebbseus and 
Thaddseus, was the son of Alphseus or Cleo- 
phas, the brother of James the Less, the cousin- 
german of our Saviour, and one of the twelve 
Apostles (a). His call to be a disciple of Jesus is 
not recorded ; and, except in the catalogues of the 
Apostles, he is mentioned only once in the Gos- 
pels. After Christ's interesting discourse to his 
disciples not long before his crucifixion, " Judas 
saith unto him (not Iscariot,) Lord how is it that 
thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not to the 
world (b) ?" From which question it is inferred, 
that at this time Judas had the common prejudice 
of the Jews concerning the kingdom of the Mes- 
siah. Jude is not mentioned in the Acts of the 
Apostles, nor is a single circumstance recorded of 
him in any antient author, upon which we can 
depend. He is generally reckoned among those 
Apostles who did not suffer martyrdom. 

II. This 

(a) Luke, c. 6. v. x6. Acts, c. l. v. 13, Matt. c. 10. v. 3- 
Mark, c. 3. v. 18. Matt. c. 13. v. 55. Mark, c. 6. v. 3. 

(b) John, c. 14. v. 22. 



€ hap. xxx.] General Epistle of St. Jude. 357 

II. This Epistle is quoted by Clement of Alex- 
andria, Tertullian, Origen, Dionysius of Alexan- 
dria, and most of the later fathers. Jerome says, 
" Jude, brother of James, left a short Epistle, 
which is one of the seven called catholic. But be- 
cause of a quotation from a book of Enoch, which 
is apocryphal, it is rejected by many; however at 
length it has obtained authority, and is reckoned 
among the sacred Scriptures (c)." Upon this sub- 
ject it has been remarked, that Jude does not in 
fact quote any book of Enoch ; he only says, that 
" Enoch prophesied," and that prophecy might 
have been traditional (d). And, moreover, the 
book of Enoch, mentioned by Origen, was pro- 
bably not known in the time of Jude, as it is 
believed to have been a forgery of the second cen- 
tury. It is difficult to ascertain to what Jude does 
really refer ; but whatever it was, it does not afford 
a sufficient reason for setting aside the genuineness 
of this book, in opposition to the authorities which 
were just now cited. 

III. This Epistle is addressed, " To them that 
are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in 
Jesus Christ, and called ( e) ;" that is, to all Chris- 
tians without any distinction. From the following 
passage, " Remember ye the words which were 
spoken before of the Apostles of our Lord Jesus 
Christ : How that they told you, there should be 
mockers in the last time, who should walk after their 
own ungodly lusts (f) ;" it is evident that this Epistle 
was written some time subsequent to St. Peter's 
Epistles (g), and St. Paul's Epistles to Timothy, in 

which 

(c) De Vir. III. cap. 4. 

(d) The Arabians and the Indians have certainly preserved 
the tradition. Vide Gibbon and Maurice. 

(e) V. 1. _ (f) Ver. 17 and 18. 
(g) There is great similarity between this Epistle and the 

second chapter of St. Peter's second Epistle. 



35$ General Epistle of St. Jude. [part u. 

which these prophecies are contained ; and there- 
fore we may place its date, with most commen- 
tators, about the year 70. 

IV. St. Jude, after saluting the Christian con- 
verts, and praying for divine blessings upon them, 
exhorts them earnestly to contend for the genuine 
faith, as originally delivered to the Saints, in op- 
position to the erroneous doctrines taught by false 
teachers ; he reminds the Christians of the severity 
of God's judgments inflicted upon the apostate 
angels and unrighteous men of former times ; from 
these examples he warns them against adopting 
the seducing principles of those v/ho were endea- 
vouring to pervert them from the truth, and de- 
nounces woe against all persons of impious and 
profligate characters ; he reminds them of the 
predictions of the Apostles concerning mockers in 
the last days, and exhorts them to preserve them- 
selves in the true faith and love of God, and to 
use their best exertions for the preservation and 
recovery of others. He concludes with an ani- 
mated doxology, suited to the general design of 
the Epistle. 

The language of this Epistle is nervous, and 
the figures and comparisons are bold, apt, and 
striking. 



[ 359 1 



PART II. 



CHAPTER THE THIRTY-FIRST. 

OF THE REVELATION OF JOHN 
THE DIVINE. 

I. Genuineness of this Book. — II. Its Date. 
—III. Its Contents. 

I. HTHE testimonies in favour of the book of the 
Revelation being a genuine work of St. John 
the Evangelist, are very full and satisfactory. An- 
drew, bishop of Cassarea in Cappadocia, in the fifth 
century, assures us that Papias acknowledged the 
Revelation to be inspired. But the earliest author 
now extant, who mentions this book, is Justin Mar- 
tyr, who lived about sixty years after it was written, 
and he ascribes it to St. John. So does Irenseus, 
whose evidence is alone sufficient upon this point ; 
for he was the disciple of Polycarp, who was the 
disciple of John himself; and he expressly tells us, 
that he had the explanation of a certain passage 
in this book from those who had conversed with 
St. John the author (a). These two fathers are 
followed by Clement of Alexandria, Theophilus of 
Antioch, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Lactantius, 
Jerome, Athanasius, and many other ecclesiastical 
writers, all of whom concur in considering the 
Apostle John as the author of the Revelation. Some 
few persons, however, doubted the Genuineness of 

this 
(a) Lib, 3. cap. 3. lib. 4. cap. 7. . 



360 Revelation of John the Divine, [part ii. 
this book in the third and fourth centuries ; but 
since that time it has been very generally acknow- 
ledged to be canonical ; and indeed, as Mr. Low- 
man observes, " Hardly any one book has received 
more early, more authentic, and more satisfactory 
attestations." The omission of this book in some 
of the early catalogues of the Scriptures, was pro- 
bably not owing to any suspicion concerning its 
Authenticity or Genuineness, but because its ob- 
scurity and mysteriousness were thought to render 
it less fit to be read publicly and generally. It is 
called the Revelation of John the Divine ; and this 
appellation was first given to St. John by Eusebius, 
not to distinguish him from any other person of the 
same name, but as an honourable title, intimating 
that to him was more fully revealed the system of 
divine counsels, than to any other prophet of the 
Christian dispensation. 

II. In the history of St. John it was shewn, that 
he was banished to Patmos in the latter part of the 
reign of Domitian, and that he returned to Ephe- 
sus immediately after the death of that emperor, 
which happened in the year 96 : and as the Apostle 
states, that these visions appeared to him while he 
was in that island, we may consider this book as 
written in the year 95 or 96. In farther support 
of this date, I shall quote the following passage 
from Beausobre and L'Enfant's preface to the 
Revelation. After adducing Irenaeus, Origen, 
Eusebius, and several other antient fathers, all of 
whom placed the banishment of St. John to Patmos 
in the latter part of the reign of Domitian, they 
proceed to make the following judicious observa- 
tions : " To this so constant a tradition we must add 
other reasons, which prove farther that the Apoca- 
lypse was not written till after Claudius and Nero. 
It appears from the book itself, that churches had 
already been established for a considerable time in 
8 Asia 



r. H A P . x x x i ..] Revelation of John the Divine. 361 
Asia Minor, since St. John reproaches them, in the 
name of Jesus Christ, with faults which do not 
take place immediately ; he blames the church at 
Ephesus, for having left its first love ; that at 
Sardis, for having a name that it lived, and was 
dead ; that at Laodicea, for having fallen into luke- 
warmness and indifference. Now the church of 
Ephesus, for example, was not founded by bt. Puul 
till the latter part of the reign of Claudius ; and 
when he wrote to them from Rome in the year 61 
or 62, so far from reproaching them with any de 
feet of love, on the contrary he commends their 
love and their faith. It appears from the Revela- 
tion, that the Nicolaitans formed a sect when this 
book was written, since they are expressly named ; 
instead of which they were only foretold and de- 
scribed in general terms by St. Peter in his second 
Epistle, which might be written in the year 67, 
and by St. Jude, about the time of the destruction 
of Jerusalem under Vespasian. It is evident, from 
divers passages of the Revelation, that there had 
been then an open persecution in the provinces. 
St. John himself had been banished to Patmos for 
the testimony of Jesus Christ. He praises the 
church of Ephesus, or its bishop, for its constancy 
under affliction, which seems to imply persecution. 
This is still more clear in the words addressed to 
the church of Smyrna ; e I know thy works and thy 
tribulation ;' for the word used in the original al- 
most always signifies persecution in the writings of 
the New Testament, as it is explained in the fol- ' 
lowing verse. In the 13th verse of this second 
chapter, mention is made of a martyr named Anti- 
pas, who was put to death atPergamus. Although 
antient ecclesiastical history furnishes us with no 
account of this Antipas, it is however certain, ac- 
cording to all the rules of language, that what is 
here said, is to be understood literally, and not 
mystically, as some interpreters have done, con- 
It trary 



36 2 Revelation of John the Divine, [part 1 1 . 

trary to all probability : A martyr was put to death 
at Pergamus, ' where thou dwellest, even where 
Satan's seat is/ It being thus impossible to refer 
the persecution mentioned in the first chapters of 
the Revelation to the time of Claudius, who did not 
persecute the Christians, or to that of Nero, whose 
persecution did not extend to the provinces, we 
must necessarily refer it to Domitian, according to 
ecclesiastical tradition." This internal evidence 
appears to me a strong argument in favour of the 
date which has been assigned to the Revelation. 

III. In the first chapter, St. John asserts the di- 
vine authority of the predictions which he is about 
to deliver ; addresses himself to the churches of the 
Proconsular Asia ; and describes the first vision, 
in which he is commanded to write the things then 
revealed to him. The second and third chapters 
contain seven Epistles to the seven churches in 
Asia; namely, of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamus, 
Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, 
which relate chiefly to their then respective cir- 
cumstances and situation (b). At the fourth chap- 
ter the prophetic visions begin, and reach to the 
end of the book. They contain a prediction of all 
the most remarkable revolutions and events in the 
Christian church, from the time of the Apostle to 
the final consummation of all things. An attempt 
to explain these prophecies does not fall within 
the design of this work; and therefore I refer 
those, who are disposed to study this sublime and 
mysterious book, to Mede, Daubuz, Sir Isaac New- 
ton, Lowman, Bishop Newton, Bishop Hurd, and 
many other excellent commentators. These learned 
men agree in their general principles concerning 
the interpretation of this book, although they differ 



(b) Some commentators have thought that these Epistles to 
the Seven Churches, describe the character and fate of the 
churches in the last days. 



chap, xxxi.] Revelation of John the Divine. 363 
in some particular points ; and it is not to be ex- 
pected that there should be a perfect coincidence 
of opinion in the explanation of those predictions, 
which relate to still future times ; for as the in- 
comparable Sir Isaac Newton observes, " God gave 
these and the prophecies of the Old Testament, 
not to gratify men's curiosity, by enabling them to 
foreknow things, but that after they were fulfilled 
they might be interpreted by the event, and his 
Own providence, not that of the interpreters, be 
then manifested thereby to the world." — " To ex- 
plain this book," says Bishop Newton, " perfectly, 
is not the work of one man, or of one age ; but 
probably it never will be clearly understood, till it 
is all fulfilled." It is graciously designed, that the 
gradual accomplishment of these predictions should 
afford, in every succeeding period of time, addi- 
tional testimony to the divine origin of our Holy 
Religion. 



[ 364 ] 

PART II. 

CHAPTER THE THIRTY-SECOND. 

THE NEW TESTAMENT HISTORY ABRIDGED, 



TESUS, called the Christ, having been conceived 
by the power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of 
a virgin named Mary, who had been betrothed to 
a person whose name was Joseph, was born at 
Bethlehem, a city of Judaea, when Herod the Great 
was king of the Jews, and Augustus emperor of 
Rome. Joseph and Mary were both descended 
from David ; but, though of royal extraction, they 
were persons in a low condition of life. The usual 
place of their residence was Nazareth in Galilee, 
and they had gone to Bethlehem for the purpose of 
being enrolled, in obedience to a decree of Augus- 
tus, that being the city to which the family of David 
belonged : " And so it was, that while they were 
there, the days were accomplished that Mary 
should be delivered ; and she brought forth her first- 
born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, 
and laid him in a manger, because there was no 
room for them in the inn. And there were in the 
same country shepherds abiding in the field, keep- 
ing watch over their flock by night ; and lo, the 
angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory 
of the Lord shons round about them, and they 

were 



ch.xxxii.] New Testament Hist dry abridged. 365 

were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, 
Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of 
great joy, which shall be to all people : for unto 
you is born this day, in the city of David, a Sa- 
viour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall 
be a sign unto you ; ye shall find the babe wrapped 
in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And sud- 
denly there was with the angel a multitude of the 
heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to 
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will 
towards men (a)" After the angel had departed, 
the shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem, and 
" found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in 
a manger. And the shepherds returned, glorify- 
ing and praising God for all the things they had 
heard and seen (b)." On the eighth day Jesus 
was circumcised, and being the first-born of .his 
mother, he was afterwards presented in the tem- 
ple, and a sacrifice offered for him, as the law of 
Moses commanded (c). Upon that occasion, Si- 
meon and Anna, two devout and aged inhabitants 
of Jerusalem, were supematurally directed to go 
into the temple, and seeing the child Jesus, they 
declared, in the spirit of prophecy, that he was 
the promised Messiah ( d). The birth of Jesus 
was more publicly announced at Jerusalem by the 
arrival of wise men from the East, who had " seen 
his star" in their own country, and had come, 
under a divine impulse, " to worship him." The 
star conducted them to the place where Jesus 
was, and they worshipped him, and according to 
eastern custom presented him with gifts of gold, 
frankincense, and myrrh (e). And thus was the 

birth 

(a) Luke, c. 2. v. 6 — 14. 

(b) Luke, c. 2. v. 16 and 20. 

(c) Exod. c. 13. v. 2. Numb, c. 18. v. 15. Lev. c, 12. 
v. 6 and 8. 

(d) Luke, c. 2. v. 25, &c. (e) Matt. c. 2, v. l, &c. 



366 'New. Testament History abridged, [part 11. 
birth of the Messiah, the universal Saviour of man- 
kind, communicated, by especial Revelation, both 
to Jews and Gentiles ; and select persons of each 
description acknowledged him as such upon his 
first appearance in the world. 

All these wonderful occurrences were quickly 
made known, and they could not but produce 
general astonishment; and in the mind of the 
jealous and profligate Herod they occasioned great 
alarm. Thinking that Jesus, whose birth was at- 
tended with these extraordinary circumstances, 
might be the great temporal prince, who was now 
universally expected to arise in Judaea, or in some 
part of the East, and fearing that he might deprive 
him or his family of his kingdom, he endeavoured 
to destroy him, by ordering all the children of 
Bethlehem, under two years of age, to be put to 
death. But God was pleased to frustrate his de- 
sign, by commanding Joseph and Mary to carry 
Jesus into Egypt ; and the death of Herod hap- 
pening soon after, they returned to Nazareth after 
a short absence (f). 

It is said in general terms, that " Jesus increased 
in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and 
man (g) ;" but the only circumstance recorded of 
the early part of his life is, thatat the age of twelve 
years he went to Jerusalem, at the feast of the 
Passover, and was found in the temple, " sitting 
in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them and 
asking them questions ; and all that heard him 
were astonished at his understanding and an- 
swers (h)" He returned to Nazareth, and was 
subject to his parents (i). 

A few months before the birth of Jesus, was born 
John, called the Baptist, the son of Zacharias a 
Jewish priest, and ef Elizabeth his wife, who was 

nearly 

(f) Matt. c. 2. v. 13, &c. (g) Luke, c. 2. v. 52. 

(h) Luke, c. 2. v. 46 and 47. (i) Luke, c. 2. v. 51. 



ch. xx xii.] New Testament History abridged. 367 
nearly related to Mary the mother of Jesus. In 
the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, 
emperor of Rome, Pontius Pilate being governor 
of Judaea and Samaria, and Herod Antipas te- 
trarch of Galilee, John appeared in the desert 
country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of 
repentance for the remission of sins. " And the 
same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a 
leathern girdle about his loins, and his meat was 
locusts and wild honey (k)." He taught that the 
kingdom of heaven was at hand ; admonished his 
countrymen of the danger of continuing in their 
sins ; bade them bring forth fruits meet for re- 
pentance, and not depend upon national privi- 
leges for acceptance with God. The extra- 
ordinary appearance of John, and the interesting 
instructions which he delivered, excited at this 
moment of general expectation, great notice and 
attention: "There went out to him Jerusalem, 
and all Judaea, and all the region round about 
Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, 
confessing their sins (I)" — " While all men mused 
in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ 
or not (m)" the Jewish council sent priests and 
Levites from Jerusalem to enquire who he was : 
he acknowleged that he was not the Christ, but 
that he was his forerunner, predicted by the pro- 
phets ; and he openly declared that there was then 
among them a great Person, whom as yet they 
knew not, far superior to himself, who would 
" baptize them with the Holy Ghost and with 
fire." After great numbers of people had been 
baptized, Jesus came " from Galilee to Jordan 
unto John to be baptized of him." John, urging 
his own inferiority, at first refused, but upon Jesus 
representing the necessity of his being baptized by 

him, 

( k) Matt. c. 3. v. 4. (I) Matt. c. 3. v. 5 and 6, 

(m) Luke, c, 3. v. 15. 



368 New Testament History abridged, [part ir. 
him, lie complied. And immediately after the 
baptism of Jesus, " the heaven was opened, and 
the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like 
a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, 
which said, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am 
well pleased: and Jesus himself began to be about 
thirty years of age (n)" 

Jesus being thus baptized, and having received 
this testimony to his divine character, was " led 
up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted 
of the devil (o)" He there fasted forty days and 
forty nights, and underwent a variety of tempta- 
tions which are recorded by St. Matthew and 
St. Luke; but at length the devil, being unable to 
prevail, left him, and " behold, angels came and 
ministered unto him (p)." 

After the temptation, Jesus returned to Naza- 
reth, and began his ministry in Galilee : "He went 
about all the cities and villages, teaching in their 
synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the king- 
dom, and healing every sickness, and every disease 
among the people (q)." The excellence of these 
instructions, joined to the authority with which 
they were delivered, and accompanied by the re- 
peated performance of miracles, could not fail to 
convince many people that he was a Teacher sent 
from God: he was acknowledged to speak as "never 
man spake (r), " and to work such miracles " as 
had never been seen in Israel (&)" His followers 
soon became numerous, and he chose from them 
twelve persons, who were named Apostles; and 
who constantly attended him during his ministry, 
except for a short period, when he sent them to 
preach in Judsea and Galilee. He gave them pe- 
culiar instructions for that purpose, and also 

enabled 

(n) Matt. c. 5. v. 16 and 17. Luke, c. 3. v. 21, &c. 
(o) Matt. c. 4. v. 1. (p) Matt. c. 4. v. 11. 

(q) Matt. c. 9. v. 35. (r) John, c. 7. v 46, 

($) Matt. c. 9. v. 33. 



c h . x x x 1 1 /] New Testament History abridged. 369 
enabled them to perform miracles. And when they 
had executed their commission, they " gathered 
themselves together unto Jesus, and told him all 
things, both what they had done, and what they 
had taught (i)" 

The freedom with which John the Baptist had 
censured the incestuous marriage of Herod Anti- 
pas with Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, 
provoked the resentment of Herod, and induced 
him to apprehend and imprison John. Not long 
afterwards, Herod, being pleased with the dancing 
of the daughter of Herodias, promised with an oath 
to give her whatsoever she would ask ; and she, 
being instructed by her mother, desired that the 
head of John might be presented to her. Herod 
expressed great concern at this request, but pre- 
tending the obligation of the oath which he had 
rashly sworn, he commanded that John should be 
beheaded ; and " his head was given to the damsel, 
and she brought it to her mother (u)" 

In the mean time Jesus continued his ministry. 
He declared that the general purpose of his com- 
ing into the world was, to call sinners to repent- 
ance, that the world through him might be saved, 
and that whosoever believed in him should not 
perish, but have everlasting life ; he inculcated the 
necessity of faith, humility, meekness, temperance, 
self-denial, devotion, and resignation to the divine 
will ; he cautioned his hearers against pride, ceri- 
soriousness, covetousness, hatred, reviling, cause- 
less anger, the love of this world, and the indul- 
gence of every irregular appetite; he taught that 
the two great branches of men's duty were to love 
God, and to love their neighbour ; that they were 
to worship God in spirit and in truth ; that they 
should imitate their heavenly Father in mercy, 
forgiveness, and in all goodness ; that they should 

do 

(t) Mark, c. 6. v, 30. (it) Matt. c. 14. v. 11. 

» 5 



- 



370 New Testament History abridged, [part ir. 
do to others as they would that others should do to 
thern ; that they ought to be pure in heart as well 
as unblameable in outward actions ; that they were 
not to pray, fast, or give alms merely that they 
might be seen of men, but in all things to seek 
the approbation of God, who not only sees the 
most private actions, but is also acquainted with 
the inward thoughts of men : he farther declared, 
in the most distinct and positive manner, that there 
will be a future state of existence, and a general 
judgment ; and that those who have acted well in 
this world will be rewarded with eternal happiness, 
but that the wicked will be consigned to everlast- 
ing misery. These precepts and these truths he 
delivered sometimes plainly, sometimes in parables ; 
and as a proof of his divine mission, and of the 
divine authority of the doctrines which he taught, 
he performed a great variety of miracles in the 
most public manner, and in every part of Judaea 
and Galilee : he turned water into wine ; he fed 
five thousand persons with a few loaves and fishes ; 
he walked upon the sea, and calmed the winds and 
waves ; he made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, 
and the lame to walk ; he cured all sorts of dis- 
eases, " healed all that were oppressed of the 
devil (x)," and restored the dead to life. Besides 
these wonderful works, he manifested a clear know- 
ledge of the thoughts and designs of men ; he fore- 
told his own death, resurrection, and ascension ; 
the descent of the Holy Ghost; the sufferings of 
the Apostles, and the success of their preaching ; 
he predicted the destruction of the city and temple 
of Jerusalem, the dispersion of the Jewish people, 
and the abolition of their national polity, in the 
most clear and positive terms ; he prophesied con- 
cerning times which are yet future, and declared 
that he should come again to judge the world. 

In 

(x) Acts, c. 10. v. 38. 



ch. xxxn.] New Testament History abridged, 371 
In the course of his ministry, Jesus went up 
into a high mountain with three of his Apostles, 
Peter, James, and John, and was in their presence 
transfigured : " His face did shine as the sun, and 
his raiment was white as light, and a bright cloud 
overshadowed them ; and behold a voice out of 
the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in 
whom I am well pleased ; hear ye him (y)" 

Christ not only lived without any external state 
and splendour, but he seems not to have had any 
fixed habitation, after he began his ministry, ex- 
cept in the house of Peter, one of his Apostles. 
Meek and condescending to his disciples, and to 
all who resorted to him for instruction or relief, he 
at the same time reproved their faults and failings 
with the impartiality and dignity belonging to his 
divine character and office; he inveighed with 
great severity against the hypocrisy, pride, covet- 
ousness, and vain traditions of the Scribes and 
Pharisees, and chief men among the Jews, and 
warned them of the danger to which they exposed 
themselves by their wicked lives and unfounded 
doctrines. 

When Christ had fully taught and confirmed 
his religion, and in his own conduct had exhibited 
a perfect example of piety and virtue, he went up 
to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the Jews, 
and according to his own practice during his 
ministry (z), to keep the passover, and while he 
was eating it in a room with his Apostles, where it 
was prepared by his direction, he foretold that one 
of them should betray him to the Jews. He then 
instituted the sacrament of the Lord's supper, and 
afterwards went with his disciples to the mount of 

Olives ; 

(y) Matt. c. 17. v. 2 and 5. 

(z) Many, commentators think that this was the fourth 
passover, at which our Saviour had been present since he 
began his ministry, but I am inclined to think it was only 
the third. Vide page 238 of this volume. 

e6 



372 New Testament History abridged, [part n, 
Olives ; he there retired into a private part of a 
garden with Peter, John, and James, and fore- 
seeing that his death was near at hand, he under- 
went a severe agony of mind; he prayed with- 
great earnestness to be delivered from the suffer- 
ings which awaited him, " if it were possible," 
consistently with " the cause for which he came 
into the world," but at the same time he expressed 
the most perfect resignation to the will of his 
Almighty Father : he declared to those who were 
with him, the near approach of his traitorous 
Apostle; " and while he yet spake, lo, Judas, 
one of the twelve, came, and with him a great 
multitude with swords and staves from the chief 
priests and elders of the people (a)" — " Jesus 
therefore knowing all things that should come 
upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom 
seek ye ? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. 
Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, 
which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon 
then as he had said unto them, I am he, they 
went backward, and fell to the ground. Then 
asked he them again, Whom seek ye ? and they 
said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have 
told you that I am he ; if therefore ye seek me, 
let these go their way (b)" Then Peter, in a 
transport of zeal to defend his beloved Master, 
drew his sword ; but Jesus said unto Peter, " Put 
up thy sword into the sheath : the cup which my 
Father hath given me, shall I not drink it ? Then 
the band, and the captain, and officers of the 
Jews, took Jesus and bound him (c)" and carried 
him before the high priest and Sanhedrim. He 
was there accused, examined, and pronounced to 
be " guilty of death (d)" as a blasphemer, " be- 
cause he made himself the Son of God (e)." He 



(a) Matt. c. 26. v. 47. (b)~ John, c. 18. v. 4—8. 

(c) John, c, 18. v. 11 and 12. 

(d) Matt. c. 26. y. 66. (e) John, e, 19, v. 7. 



en. xxxii.] New Testament History abridged. 373 
was treated with every mark of contempt and in- 
dignity ; but the Jewish council, having no longer 
the power of life and death, were under the neces- 
sity of carrying Jesus before Pontius Pilate, the 
I Roman governor. Pilate at first seemed desirous 
of releasing him ; but the chief priests declared, 
that Jesus had forbidden the people to pay tribute 
unto Caesar, and had called himself the king of 
the Jews ; and that therefore " if he let this man 
go, he was not Caesar's friend." Thus at leno-th 
they prevailed upon Pilate to condemn Jesus to 
be crucified. This sentence was carried into im- 
mediate execution. The morning after he was 
betrayed, he was crucified between two male- 
factors, the one on his right hand, and the other 
on his left : " And they set up over his head his 
accusation, written, This is Jesus the kino; of the 
Jews (f)" At the moment Jesus expired, " the 
veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top 
to the bottom ; and the earth did quake ; and the 
rocks rent ; and the graves were opened, and many 
bodies of the saints which slept arose. And it was 
about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over 
ail the earth until the ninth hour (g)." These ex- 
traordinary circumstances compelled the Roman 
centurion and his heathen companions to exclaim 
" Truly this was the Son of God (h)" 

Pilate, having received certain information that 
Christ was dead, permitted Joseph of Arimathea 
who had been one of his disciples, to take the 
body from the cross, and to bury it; and by desire 
of the Jewish council, he ordered the sepulchre 
to be secured by a guard of Roman soldiers, "lest 
his disciples come by night, and steal him away, 

and 



(f) Matt. c. 27. v. 37. 

(g) Matt.c. 27. v. 51 and 52. Luke, c. 23, v. 44, 
( h) Matt. c. 27. y. 54. , 



y 



374 New Testament History abridged, [part ii. 
and say unto the people, He is risen from the 
deadfO" 

On the third day after his crucifixion and burial, 
early in the morning, Jesus arose, and shewed 
himself alive, " by many infallible proofs," to his 
Apostles, and to many others to whom he had 
been known during his ministry. He spake of the 
things pertaining to the kingdom of God, and 
gave his Apostles this express command to pro- 
pagate his religion : " Go ye, and teach all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of 
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to 
observe whatsoever I have commanded you ; and 
lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of 
the world (k)." He renewed to them the promise 
of the Holy Ghost, and directed them to remain 
at Jerusalem, till they were " endued with power 
from on high. And he led them out as far as to 
Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed 
them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, 
he was parted from them, and was carried up into 
heaven (I)" 

The Apostles returned to Jerusalem, and being 
there assembled with other disciples to the number 
of about one hundred and twenty, Peter proposed 
that some person should be chosen an Apostle in 
the room of Judas Iscariot, who had hanged him- 
self when he saw Jesus condemned to death: 
" And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, 
who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And 
they prayed, and said, Thou Lord, which knowest 
the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two 
thou hast chosen, that he may take part of the 
ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by 
transgression fell, that he might go to his own 

place. 



(i) Matt. c. 27. v. 64. 

(k) Matt. c. 28. v. 19 and 20, 

(I) Luke, c. 24. v. 49, &c 8 



ch. xxxii.] ~New Testament History abridged. 375 
place. And they gave forth their lots ; and the 
lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with 
the eleven Apostles (m)." 

At the feast of Pentecost, ten days after the 
ascension of our Saviour, and fifty after his resur- 
rection from the dead, the Holy Ghost descended 
visibly upon the Apostles : " There appeared unto 
them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon 
each of them. And they were all filled with the 
Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues 
as the Spirit gave them utterance (n)" There 
were at this time at Jerusalem Jews by birth, and 
proselytes to the Jewish religion, " out of every 
nation under heaven," who had come thither for 
the purpose of celebrating the feast of Pentecost ; 
and when they heard the Apostles, whom they 
knew to be Galileans of low condition, speaking, 
in the languages of their respective conntries, the 
wonderful works of God, " they were all amazed, 
and marvelled," and were utterly unable to account 
for so sudden and extraordinary a power. Peter, 
taking advantage of the impression made upon the 
minds of these men, explained to them, that the 
gift, which had excited their surprise, had been 
predicted by the prophet Joel ; he then declared 
Jesus, whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem had 
caused to be crucified, to be a Teacher sent from 
God ; and in proof of his divine mission he ap- 
pealed to the miracles which he had performed, 
and to his resurrection from the dead ; he asserted 
that Jesus was now exalted at the right hand of 
God, and had sent the Holy Ghost according to 
his promise, the effects of which they had just 
witnessed; and he concluded with this solemn 
declaration, " Therefore let all the house of Israel 
know assuredly that God hath made that same 

Jesus, 

(m) Acts, c. l. v. 23, &c. 
(n) Acts, c. 2. v. 3, &c. 



376 New 'Testament History abridged, [part ii. 
Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and 
Christ (o)." The effect of this discourse, and of 
other exhortations, which the Apostles delivered, 
was, that three thousand persons immediately 
professed their belief in Jesus as the Messiah, and 
were baptized in his name. " Many wonders and 
signs were done by the Apostles (p)" and the 
number of believers was daily increased. They 
lived together in the most perfect harmony : those 
who had possessions sold them, and brought the 
money to the Apostles ; they had all things in 
common, and there " was not any among them 
that lacked (q)." But the disciples soon after be- 
came so numerous, that the Apostles were unable 
to attend to the concerns of the poor ; and there- 
fore, by their advice, seven persons were selected, 
whom they appointed " over this business," and 
who, from their office of " daily ministration/' 
were called Deacons (r). The Apostles then con- 
fined themselves to preaching and the performance 
of miracles. 

The members of the Sanhedrim, and other chief 
persons among the Jews, alarmed by the success 
which constantly attended the exertions of the 
Apostles, apprehended Peter and John, who had 
lately restored to the use of his limbs a man, who 
had been lame from his mother's womb. They 
examined them the next day before their council, 
and Peter openly declared, that they had performed 
the miracle by the name of Jesus Christ, whom 
they had crucified. The man who had been lame 
was present, and the fact of this cure could not be 
controverted. They found themselves under the 
necessity of acknowledging the miracle ; and as it 
afforded no pretence for punishment, they could 

only 

(o) Acts, c. 2. v. 36. 

(p) Acts, c. 2. v. 43. 

(q) Acts, c. 2. v. 34. 

(r) From hawsco? ministro. 



c H . x x x 1 1 .] New Testament History abridged. 377 
only command Peter and John to speak no more 
to the people in the name of Jesus. The two 
Apostles immediately replied, that they could not 
but speak the things which they had seen and 
heard, in obedience to the commands of God. 
The council added farther threats, and then dis- 
missed them. Upon the report of these proceed- 
ings before the Sanhedrim, the disciples returned 
thanks to Almighty God, and prayed fervently 
for the continuance of his support; ■" And when 
they had prayed, the place was shaken where they 
had assembled together ; and they were all filled 
with the Holy Ghost (s)." This fresh manifestation 
of divine power encouraged the Apostles " to speak 
the word of God with boldness; and by their 
hands were many signs and wonders wrought 
among the people. And believers were the more 
added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and 
women (t). ,} 

The high priest and Sadducees, aware of the in- 
creased zeal and success with which this new reli- 
gion was propagated, thought it necessary to make 
another attempt to check its progress ; they seized 
the twelve Apostles, and committed them to the 
common prison ; but in the night the angel of the 
Lord opened the doors, and set them at liberty, 
and commanded them to preach the Gospel in the 
temple : " And when they heard that, they entered 
into the temple early in the morning, and taught." 
In the mean time the members of the Sanhedrim 
assembled, and sent for the prisoners; but they 
were informed, that upon opening the prison no 
one was found in it ; and soon after they learnt 
that these men were then in the temple teaching 
the people. This account excited great astonish- 
ment in the council ; it produced, however, no 

good 

(s) Acts, c. 4. v. 31. 

(t) Acts ; c, 5, v. 12 and 14. 



378 New Testament History abridged, [part ii. 
good effect upon their minds. for they determined 
to send and apprehend the Apostles again. When 
they appeared before the council, the high priest, 
addressing himself to Peter and John, desired to 
know how they had dared, in direct opposition to 
his former injunction, to preach in the name of 
Jesus. The Apostles defended themselves by boldly 
asserting, that it was their duty to obey God rather 
than man, and that they were divinely commis- 
sioned to bear testimony to the religion of Jesus, 
whom the Jews had crucified, and whom God had 
exalted to be a prince and a saviour, " to give 
repentance unto Israel, and forgiveness of sins." 
This declaration so incensed the council, that they 
would immediately have put the Apostles to death,, 
if they had not been dissuaded by Gamaliel, an 
eminent doctor of the law, who advised them to be 
cautious in what they did to these men ; for if the 
doctrine which they preached were of divine origin, 
it must necessarily prevail ; but if it had no other 
foundation than human authority, it would, as in 
similar cases which had fallen within their know- 
ledge, soon sink into disregard. They so far listened 
to this advice, that they released the Apostles, 
having first beaten them, and commanded, " that 
they should not speak in the name of Jesus (u)" 
So little were the Apostles terrified by this ill 
treatment, or influenced by this command, that 
they " ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ 
daily in the temple, and in every house (x)." 

Among the most zealous and distinguished of the 
disciples was Stephen, one of the seven deacons, 
who " was full of faith and power, and did great 
wonders and miracles among the people (y)'" This 
man was seized and earned before the council, and 
accused by witnesses, who were suborned for that 

purpose, 

(u) Acts, c. 5. v. 40. 

(x) Acts, c. 5. v. 42, 

(y) Acts, c. 6. v, 8, 



ch. xxxn.] New Testament History abridged. 379 
purpose, " of speaking blasphemous words against 
Moses and against God (z)." Stephen vindicated 
himself against this charge, by asserting, at some 
length and with great solemnity, the divine autho- 
rity of the Mosaic Law; he inveighed against the 
antient Jews for persecuting the prophets who had 
predicted the coming of the Messiah, and reproach- 
ed the council, whom he was then addressing, with 
betraying and murdering that Just One who had 
been thus predicted : " When they heard these 
things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed 
on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the 
Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and 
saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the 
right hand of God, and said, behold, I see the 
heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on 
the right hand of God. They then cried out with 
a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon 
him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, 
and stoned him ; and the witnesses laid down their 
clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was 
Saul; and they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, 
and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit ; and he 
kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, 
lay not this sin to their charge ; and when he had 
said this, he fell asleep (a)" 

Stephen was the first martyr in the cause of the 
Gospel ; and immediately after his death there be- 
gan a severe persecution of the whole church at 
Jerusalem. All the disciples, except the twelve 
Apostles, left the city, and being n scattered abroad, 
went every where, preaching the word (b )." Phi- 
lip the deacon preached at Samaria ; and the in- 
habitants 

(z) Acts, c. 6. v. 11. 

(a) Acts, c, 7, v. 54, &c. This stoning of Stephen was an 
irregular tumultuous act, not done in consequence of a sentence 
of the Sanhedrim, and does not prove that the Jews at that tim& 
had the power of life and death. 

(b) Acts, c. 8, v, 4, 



380 New Testament History abridged, [partil 

habitants of that city, seeing the miracles he per- 
formed, believed the doctrines which he taught, 
and professed their belief in Jesus as the Messiah. 
And when the Apostles, who were at Jerusalem, 
heard that the Samaritans had received the word 
of God, they sent thither Peter and John, who, by 
laying their hands upon these new converts, com- 
municated to them the gifts of the Holy Ghost. 
The same success which Philip had at Samaria, 
attended the other disciples in the different places 
to which they went; and thus the persecution at 
Jerusalem was the means of conveying the Gospel 
" throughout Judsea, Galilee, and Samaria/' and 
even " as far as Phcenice, Cyprus, and Antioch ( c}." 
During the first eight years after the ascension 
of our Saviour, the preaching of the Apostles and 
others was confined to the Jews. The call of Cor- 
nelius, the first Gentile convert, and the miraculous 
conversion of St. Paul, the great Apostle of the 
Gentiles, have been already noticed. Subsequent 
to these important events, the Scripture History 
furnishes us with scarcely any information, except 
some few particulars relative to St. Peter, and 
a more detailed account of the sufferings and exer- 
tions of St. Paul. All these circumstances have 
been related in the history of those Apostles ; and 
therefore it will be only necessary to add, that we 
learn from the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles, 
that within thirty years after the ascension of our 
Saviour, Christian churches were founded in Cy- 
prus, Crete, Greece, Italy, Syria, and many coun- 
tries of Asia Minor, which consisted both of Jewish 
and Gentile converts. 

(c) Acts, c. 11. v. 19. 



c h . xxxii.] New Testament History abridged, 381 



SUCH is the History of the New Testament ; 
and that the books which contain this history were 
written, and immediately published, by persons 
contemporary with the events, is fully proved, as 
we have seen in the preceding chapters, by the 
testimony of an unbroken series of authors, reach- 
ing from the days of the Evangelists to the present 
times ; by the concurrent belief of Christians of all 
denominations ; and by the unreserved confession 
of avowed enemies to the Gospel. In this point 
of view the writings of the antient fathers of the 
Christian church are invaluable. They contain not 
only frequent references and allusions to the books 
of the New Testament, but also such numerous 
professed quotations from them, that it is demon- 
stratively certain, that these books existed in their 
present state a few years after the appearance of 
Christ in the world. No unbeliever in the apostolic 
age, in the age immediately subsequent to it, or 
indeed in any age whatever, was ever able to dis- 
prove the facts recorded in these books ; and it 
does not appear, that in the early times any such 
attempt was made. The facts therefore related in 
the New Testament must be admitted to have really 
happened. But if all the circumstances of the 
history of Jesus, that is, his miraculous conception 
in the womb of the Virgin, the time at which he 
was born, the place where he was born, the family 
from which he was descended, the nature of the 
doctrines which he preached, the meanness of his 
condition, his rejection, sufferings, death, burial, 
resurrection, and ascension, with many other mi- 
nute particulars ; if, I say, all these various circum- 
stances in the history of Jesus exactly accord with 
the predictions of the Old Testament relative to 
the promised Messiah, in whom all the nations of 

the 



382 New Testament History abridged, [part ii. 
the earth were to be blessed, it follows that Jesus 
was that Messiah.— And again, if Jesus really 
performed the miracles as related in the Gospels, 
and was perfectly acquainted with the thoughts 
and designs of men, his divine mission cannot be 
doubted. — Lastly, if he really foretold his own 
death and resurrection, the descent of the Holy 
Ghost, its miraculous effects, the sufferings of the 
Apostles, the call of the Gentiles, and the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, it necessarily follows that he 
spake by the authority of God himself. These and 
many other arguments founded in the more than 
human character of Jesus, in the rapid propagation 
of the Gospel, in the excellence of its precepts and 
doctrines, and in the constancy, intrepidity, and 
fortitude of its early professors, incontrovertibly 
establish the truth and divine origin of the Chris- 
tian religion, and afford to us, who live in these 
latter times, the most positive confirmation of the 
promise of our Lord, that " the gates of hell shall 
not prevail against it (d)." 

(d) Matt. c. 16. v. 18. 



THE PLACES AND TIMES OF WRITING THE 
BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 



St. Matthew - - 

St. Mark - - - 

St. Luke - - - 

St. John - - - 

Acts - - - - 

Romans - - - 

1 Corinthians 

2 Corinthians 
Galatians - - - 
Ephesians - - 
Philippians - - 
Colossians - - 

1 Thessalonians - 

2 Thessalonians - 

1 Timothy - - 

2 Timothy - - 
Titus - - - - 
Philemon - - - 
Hebrews - - - 
St. James - - - 

1 St. Peter - - 

2 St. Peter - - 

1 St. John - - 

2 St. John - - 

3 St. John - - 
St. Jude - - - 
Revelation - - 



- Judsea - - - - a.d. 38 

- Rome ------ 65 

- Greece- ----- 63 

- Asia Minor - - - - 97 

- Greece ----- 64 

- Corinth ----- 58 

- Ephesus ----- 56 

- Macedonia - - - - 57 

- Corinth or Macedonia - 52 

- Rome ------ 61 

- Rome ------ 62 

- Rome ------ 62 

- Corinth - - . - - - 52 

- Corinth ----- 5^ 

- Macedonia - - - - 64 

- Rome ------ 65 

- Greece or Macedonia - 64 

- Rome ------ 62 

- Rome ------ 63 

- Jerusalem- - - - - 6i 

- Rome ------ 64 

- Rome ------ 65 

- Judsea ------ 69 

- Ephesus ----- 69 

- Ephesus ----- 69 

- Unknown ----- 70 

- Patmos - - - 95 or 96 



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